


Enter the Hummingbird

by BeholdIAmDeath



Series: Love Birds [2]
Category: British Actor RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Based on a Tumblr Post, Dad Tom Hiddleston, F/M, Glow Universe, I Blame Tumblr, Infertility, Lots of Sex, Marine Biologist, Oral Sex, Rating: M, Ratings: R, Relationship(s), Slice of Life, Universe Alteration, Unplanned Pregnancy, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-08-09
Packaged: 2018-02-08 15:01:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 30,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1945572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeholdIAmDeath/pseuds/BeholdIAmDeath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Tom and Anima Hiddleston thought life couldn't get more exciting...</p><p>Sequel to "When Nightingale Meets Mockingbird"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is fiction.

With a sigh, Anima stepped out of her small white used Ford Focus and walked over to the lift. She was exhausted from a long day of work at the marina where she worked as a shark specialist. There were several pings on their beacons at the mouth of the Thames where bull sharks were coming in. She spent all day in a wetsuit taking samples and diving in to get some photos of the tagged bull sharks. While she was down there, she also took sediment and plant life samples at the mouth of the river. She was only one on a team of twelve graduate students under her. Her boss was a veteran of the field named Coefegger. She and a student were still doing analyses and would likely continue for the next week or so. Today though, Anima would not let anything get in the way of her good mood. Tom was coming home after a film festival in Canada for his film, Only Lovers Left Alive.

Anima pushed the door to the flat open and closed it behind her, locking it quietly. After putting her purse and backpack down as well, she decided to get into something a bit more comfortable for the evening. Anima instantly began unrolling her sleeves and undoing the buttons on the front, not minding the fact that the windows were open as she strutted to her bedroom topless. Once in her bedroom, she grabbed for a t-shirt and froze in front of the mirror. Her eyes stared at the now faded scars that were forever imprinted into her flesh. After all the patience of using Scar-Away to make them fade, she could see the difference, except for her surgical scar. The pale white line had faded only slightly, but not enough to hide it. All the others were minor injuries from work.

It felt like only yesterday when she had been under the knife to remove a tumor from her uterus. Now, Tom was an up and coming star, and Anima was an established marine biologist. The years had flown by, and their relationship had survived every fight and argument which was evident from the bright glow in both their chests. It was in tune with their pulses by now. It had been there for so long that it had finally synchronized. It had only taken what…ten years? Hearing Tom's key in the lock, Anima snapped back to the present with a shake and pulled her shirt over her head.

"I thought you would have changed by now," Tom said from the bedroom doorway with a smile. His eyes scanned her as she pulled off her slacks and reached for a pair of sweats. "Thinking of something?"

"Just staring at myself in the mirror. No law against that, is there?"

Tom walked over and stood dangerously close, his jeans barely brushing her bum. "If I'm not here when you are, it is illegal."

"Oh, really now?"

"Oh, yes. It's called The let-the-husband-gawk Law," he said as he bent to kiss her lips softly. "It was signed a long time ago, you know."

Grinning happily, Anima nudged his nose with hers. "I'm just breaking the rules all over the place then, aren't I?"

Tom purred as he stroked his nose over her neck. Then he bent down to press his lips against her shoulder as his hands rubbed up and down her arms. The movement was chaste enough, but the way his hardened groin brushed against her backside most definitely wasn’t.

“Tom,” Anima breathed, closing her eyes. Her mind barely registered that Tom was pulling away her sweats since there was an ache of a different kind settling between her legs.

Blue eyes flickered over to meet her own gaze in the mirror. “Yes?” he whispered while nibbling on her neck like the vampire he promoted just a day or two ago.

The sensation sent delightful sparks right to her center, which caused her to groan and twitch in his vice-like grip. She grabbed his face and nearly crushed her lips against his own. There wasn’t much time for grace and ease, not when the burning ache within her was worse than the weariness she sustained from her long work day. Tom groaned as she licked into his mouth, a rumble she felt more than heard. It wasn’t helping, and Anima started to grind against his leg that was pressed between hers. She was unbearably hot and wet, and although the movement helped to relieve some of the pressure, it wasn’t close to being nearly enough, and she huffed in frustration.

Long fingers curled around her hip as Tom seemed to take pity on her—or perhaps he was growing just a frustrated as she was. He slid her mismatched panties down as he pushed her onto the bed, leaving kisses and nips on her chest and stomach as he went. It was torturously slow. Grabbing the headboard behind her for leverage, she tried to push her pelvis against Tom, hoping it would make him go faster, but he didn’t relent. Anima wanted to scream.

He finally made it, positioning her legs so they draped over his shoulders. “You’re…so beautiful," he spoke, tongue swiping against her drenched inner thigh, so close to where she needed him to be. “And you taste so good, my nightingale.”

Anima moaned at the feeling of his mouth and fingers on her labia, sucking and stroking. It still wasn’t what she needed, the movement only stoking the fire and doing nothing to douse it. “Please, Tom.”

She could feel his smile against her skin at her words. “Your wish is my command,” he chuckled, and how he could remain so seemingly calm when she knew for a fact he was probably harder than marble was beyond her.

Then Tom's mouth was around her clit, sucking and licking while his fingers curled inside of her and it felt so good that she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. She was so far gone that it didn’t take long for her orgasm to hit, muscles pulling themselves taut and her vision nearly going white. It took all of her remaining willpower not to scream, and instead a low moan escaped her lips.

When she came back down to earth, her eyes opened to the sight of Tom licking his lips, mouth and jaw especially shiny from her wetness. His gaze was dark and predatory, and if Anima had to guess she’d say that his patience had finally snapped. She moved to kneel, still weak and shaking from the powerful orgasm. He met her halfway, nearly diving towards her. Still, he had enough sense to reign in his strength as his lips crashed against hers, and her hands travelled down his torso to pull his trousers and boxers down, just low enough to free his cock.

She took it in hand while he attacked her mouth, his long tongue licking and sucking as it had to her clit before. Pre-cum was already beading at the tip of him, and shivers wracked his body when she stroked it. Moving to straddle his lap, she positioned him just before her entrance before sinking down in one fluid motion. That seemed to push Tom over the edge as he threw her onto her back, his hips moving like a piston and a noise suspiciously like a growl tore from his lips. She understood. It had been nearly two weeks since they’d had sex. The longest they usually went was three weeks before a clandestine visit to Tom’s hotel was planned out.

Anima groaned, nails biting at his shoulders. She was still sensitive from her previous orgasm, and the sensation coupled with being deliciously full was nearly enough to send her over the edge again, but it was just short. She began to babble as an ache almost as bad as before began building in her abdomen. Tom’s thrusts became choppy and his breathing labored as he seemed to get close to completion, and Anima snuck a finger between them. It took only two circles on her clit for the orgasm to hit, her walls tightening enough that it sent Tom over the edge as well.

Tom rolled off of her so they were both staring at the ceiling. Ater catching their breath, they finally started to cuddle. "So...how was work?"


	2. Chapter 2

They were going to be late for the cast party if Tom didn't hurry. Anima was brushing her teeth and making sure her makeup looked good while he was still getting dressed. She didn't understand why he was worrying about it. He always looked gorgeous in whatever he wore; his ever-growing fan base could attest to that. He could wear a rucksack, and he would still be beautiful. Anima was the one that needed to be worried. She was going to be facing the critical stares of Tom's aforementioned fan base. She could just imagine what they were saying about her online. Her anxiety was going up just thinking about it.

"Tom, we really need to get going. We’ll be late."

"I know, I know," he grumbled. "I just can't decide...which vest is more proper. What do you think? Grey or black?"

Anima smiled and walked to him, planting a coral tinted kiss to his lips. "You look fabulous in both."

"Not as fabulous as you. The blue suits your eyes. I'll wear the black to match you.”

Anima took a hold of his hand and kissed the tips of his fingers. "You're sweet."

Tom smiled softly and playfully pushed her down on the bed.

"You need to behave, Tom. We’re late as it is.”

"But that's no fun," he grinned as he kissed her. "How about a quickie?"

Anima laughed. "We'd be later then we are already. Now, if you are done being adorable, we have a party to get to."

Tom had a driver take them to the club he rented out for the gathering. Upon his entering, there were loud claps and cat-calls given. Tom deserved all of it for all his hard work and his accolades. He was a superb actor, and he had done so much with what he was given. Upon hearing the praise, Tom instinctively grasped Anima's hand. Anima's face was turning red as she returned the squeeze and smiled at him, motioning with a tilt of her head for him to go ahead and enjoy himself. It was his party after all.

Upon releasing her hand and accepting a glass of liquor from Chris, Tom was instantly pulled into a group of people. Glancing over his shoulder he winked at her. Anima blushed and smiled as she went to the bar and sat slowly. She ordered a tequila martini as she watched the dancing. It wasn't long before someone sat beside her: Robert Downey Jr.. He stuck out his hand and smiled as he ordered a drink and got comfortable next to her. He was another great actor, and he was apparently quite a riot in person too according to Tom.

"You must be Anima. Tom never shuts up about you. I'm Robert."

"Hi," she said, smiling with a light blush dusting her cheeks. "Tom has told me a lot about you too."

"All good I hope?"

"Of course. Tom has given you nothing but praise. He's gone absolutely bonkers over having this little reunion party."

"How can you not get excited?” he said with a smile. “So what's your day job? Tom never said much about it."

 

"I’m a marine biologist specializing in sharks. Most of my work as of late has involved the bull and great white sharks. This summer though, I’m expecting a few tiger sharks."

"Wow, that's pretty badass. Got any cool scars?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, scanning her body.

"I’ve got a few," Anima conceded, taking another sip of her drink. Most of the bites and scratches were along her arms, and there was a nurse shark bite on her outer thigh.

"Damn, can I see-"

"Downey, quit flirting with my wife," Tom teased as he came up and playfully hit his shoulder. "No one gets to see those scars but me, right love?" he winked.

"It's not my fault. She's a cutie. Smart too."

Tom beamed while Anima tried to curl into herself. She still wasn't used to praise; sometimes it was so bad that she thought Tom sometimes lied about loving her. She still couldn't understand how Tom could be attracted to her after all these years. She was 29 years old as compared to his mature, handsome 30. They were coming up on their tenth anniversary in a few months. Every day was like their honeymoon for her, and Anima could only hope Tom felt the same way. She was just so insecure.

\---

"Annie, wait until we're in the apartment. I’d rather not flash the neighbors," Tom said as he steered a happily drunk Annie into their apartment and locked the door.

"I may be drunk, but I am still going to screw you into the wall," she whispered as she pinned him to the door and dragged her fingers down his shirt and playfully pulled at his belt.

Tom grinned like a kid at Christmas and dipped his head to kiss her. He had lost his shirt in half a second, and he needed to play catch up to match her speed. Tom watched Anima back away slowly, beckoning him with a finger until he followed. All the while she was fumbling to get her clothes off. Then she pushed him down onto the bed and undressed him completely. Anima had never shown such a display of dominance before, so Tom allowed her to continue. Tossing their clothes to the side, she crawled up over him and ran her tongue up his shaft.

Grinning, she grabbed for chocolate syrup and a jar of cherries. Dear God. He had the best life ever.

Tom laid his head back and inhaled a sharp breath at the feel of the cool syrup being poured onto him. Opening his eyes, he watched Anima balance a cherry on the head of his erection. "No whip cream?" he smirked as she placed the two containers aside.

"Maybe later."

Tom let out a loud groan as she trailed her fingers along the inside of his thigh. Before he could say anything, she dove down and slowly lapped up the chocolate, leaving the cherry untouched for last. He thought he would die from the endorphins racing through his system like a sweet cocktail. Feeling her mouth enclose around the head, Tom lifted his eyes and felt her bite into the cherry, bucking at the feeling of her teeth grazing lightly over his skin. The second she sucked, Tom's back arched as he climaxed.

"Jesus, Annie," Tom panted. "How long have you been holding out?"

"A while now," she purred as she reached down beside him for the wet towel she had seemingly prepared ahead of time.

"My turn," Tom growled.

He grabbed Anima's lips with his own, forcing her gently into submission. He kissed her until those delicate lips were red and swollen from his work, and then he got the whip cream from the side of the bed. He shook the bottle and pressed the nozzle with his finger, releasing the cream on her stomach and chest. Feeling satisfied, he decided to play a little and drew out a 'T' over her torso. He chuckled to himself and Anima looked to see what he had done.

"Oh, you're just terrible, aren't you?"

She threw her head back when he leaned down and dragged his tongue from her stomach to her breast though. She wiggled and laughed until he motioned her to roll over onto her hands and knees. As he thrust in, Anima gripped the sheets with her fingers, throwing her head back as he pressed his chest against her and covered her hands with his. Grinding himself into her, he grunted before placing his hands on her hips. He needed more friction. There were no other sounds in their room except the sounds they made and his hips hitting her backside with each thrust. Grinning when she pushed back with a moan, he leaned back over her body and bit her neck hard enough to leave a mark and thrust three more times before feeling her tense up him.

Gripping her hips and pressing his face into her neck, Tom grunted as he reached his own climax. For several minutes, they stayed in their position until their breathing returned to normal and their limbs slowly stopped shaking. Pulling himself away from her, Tom lay down and pulled Anima with him.


	3. Chapter 3

"So, how's the husband doin'?" Laurey asked, joining Anima at the office's coffee machine. Laurey was a former student of Anima’s, but now she was a colleague of sorts. She had dyed blackish red hair and brown eyes. "Or was he still asleep when ye left?"

Anima shook her head with a smile. "No, he was up. He's usually up before me most days. He likes to jog during the Satanic hours. He's doing good, but he’s getting antsy since there really isn't much for him to do at the moment. He's sort of in-between projects," she said as she took a drink of the swill this office considered coffee and added milk. "He's been cleaning the apartment to keep himself busy. It's actually been nice coming home to a warm dinner waiting for me.”

"S’he doin' anythin' else ‘sides cleaning the place?" Laurey asked as she sat down at her tidy little desk in the corner. Anima’s was a bit bigger, but it was cluttered with files, papers and data she had to process. Somewhere in there, there was a laptop…maybe.

"I'm not really sure, but as long as he stays out of trouble, my mind is at ease," she said as she headed to her desk to crunch some numbers on the krill population off the south coast.

The day would likely go by without much of a change. At least, that’s what Anima was counting on. God seemed to have the oddest sense of humor in that he found it necessary to make her life more…complicated. It seemed that today was going to be one of those special days. Several hours into her shift, she heard a ping next to her right wrist. It was her phone. On it, there was a picture of her and Tom in Thailand where they spent a brief vacation. It was Tom texting her.

_Want lunch? I'm hungry and want to spend some time with my girl. -TH_

Chuckling to herself, Anima replied with a restaurant and waited patiently for him to reply. Two minutes later, he replied, saying he would stop by and pick her up before taking her to lunch. Anima smiled to herself and went back to her krill counts until he arrived. Fifteen minutes later, Tom walked into the room wearing a faded blue tshirt. It was about time he retired the old thing. She could practically see his aureoles through the thing. He wanted to keep it though, so she didn’t complain.

"Tom! What brings ye here?" Laurey called from where she was sitting, one headphone hanging from her ear in amongst all her hair.

"Taking Annie to lunch, but I'll wait until she's done with the work. How are you?"

"Still lookin' fer a replacement for Liam," she huffed. “There aren’t many who ‘ave the qualifications fer this job.”

Before he could comment, Anima walked over with a pen tucked behind her ear. "Hey, you."

Tom kissed her temple. "You were nose-deep in work and I didn't want to bother you until you were ready to go."

"I'm more than ready now."

They stopped at a local deli and ordered sandwiches; a turkey on toasted pretzel bun for Anima and a roast beef on rye for Tom. While waiting for their meals to arrive, Tom leisurely took a sip of his tea when a girl walked up. She looked to be about 16 and was dressed in an overly bright and springy getup with the makeup to match. Her makeup was caked in certain spots where acne was popping up too. Oh, the joys of youth. She was probably a fan of Tom's. Anywhere they went, someone knew Tom.

"H-Hi, Tom. C-Can I get a picture and autograph."

"Uhm, sure, if it's okay with you, Annie?" Tom asked, an apology evident in his eyes.

"It's okay with me. I'll go get our food," she said, standing and going to the counter.

When she picked up the food, she noticed a massive cinnamon roll. Its glaze shined under the lights, and it looked so gooey and fresh. She needed it. Now. Quickly, Anima ordered the cinnamon roll and went back to the table with three plates in tow. Tom had a small swarm of men, women and girls around him while he was talking. Anima had to practically shove to get to her seat beside him. Thankfully no one was in it this time. She sat out Tom's food and silverware first and then her own just like she always did at home.

When she cleared her throat, Tom looked at her and nodded. "I'm terribly sorry, everyone, but I promised to have a nice, romantic lunch with my wife. If you'll excuse us, I'd really appreciate it. I'm sorry again; thank you all. You're wonderful," he said as the crowd drifted off.

"You're too nice, Tom," Anima said, as she always did, once the crowd had died down. “They’ll take advantage of you one of these days.”

"I don't want to hurt anyone Anima. I never want to do that again. I still haven't earned the forgiveness-"

"Tom, don't start that again," Anima said, putting her hand over his. "Let's just enjoy the food, okay? I got us a cinnamon roll."

"I saw that, you cheeky minx," Tom smirked. "I'm starving, that's for sure," he said as he picked up the first half of his sandwich. He pointed to her stomach with his forefinger. "How are you feeling, by the way?"

Over the past few days, Anima had been dealing with what she thought was a bit of a morning flu she got from stress. Work had been piling up like nobody’s business since Liam left for a job in Japan. Anima took her knife and cut one half of her sandwich in half and took a small bite. "It's actually settled to the point I'm able to drink coffee."

For the next few minutes, they didn't speak until half of their sandwiches were gone. Requesting a refill of his tea, Tom reached out and tucked a dark strand of hair behind her ear and she smiled. "Are you sure your nausea is stress? How's the sandwich holding out?"

"Good. In fact, I might eat this cinnamon roll before you."

"You're on."

Amongst all the laughing, they managed to finish up their food and shared dessert. About that time, Anima's phone went off. She had to go which left Tom with the car and the people who wanted photos and autographs. She apologized profusely and promised to pay him back later in the evening.


	4. Chapter 4

"I swear to God, if I go up another pant size," Anima grumbled, lying down on the bed just so she could button her slacks. "I'm going to scream." Sighing and waiting until her stomach grew used to being compacted, she lifted her head to see Tom watching from the doorway with a towel around his neck from his run. "Tom, have I gained weight?"

"No, you look fantastic to me."

Anima frowned and lay back on the bed with her arms stretched out.

"What's the matter?"

She sighed. "I just feel different. Do I look different?"

Anima thought she was at least acting different. She was eating a little more than she used to, and she complained about her breasts being more tender than normal when Tom got handsy. Now she couldn't really fit in her jeans or work slacks. There was just one option: stress. It had to be stress. With everything going on at work, she hadn't been sleeping well or eating the healthiest of foods available to her. Coffee seemed to be her staple at the moment.

"Well, you do look a little different, but you've been working extra hours at work. You still have your monthly, right?"

She nodded.

"Maybe it's time to take a break. I could take you to a spa, and we could do some yoga. I could go as soon as I finish up filming with Marvel here in London."

"Maybe," she agreed with a groan.

Tom kissed her temple before slipping down to her lips. The cheeky devil.

Glancing at the clock, Anima grinned seductively and tugged at his belt. "I have about an hour before I need to leave for work. That give us enough time?"

He grinned. "Twenty minutes." Anima laughed when he pushed her onto the bed. "Wait, we're neglecting the couch." Taking her hand, he took her to the couch and playfully pushed her down again.

\---

"Hiddleston! Yer late!" Laurey hollered across the office, her Scottish drawl even worse when she yelled then when she spoke normally.

Busted. "Sorry, lost track of time and hit traffic." Worst. Lie. Ever.

Laurey smirked. "Uh huh. Just don't 'ave it 'appen again, 'kay? Tell 'at husband weh need ye here. I canny find a replacement fer ye, ye know."

Anima nodded and booted up her laptop as she sat in her chair. After their not-so-quick "quickie," she had to change her clothes after asking Tom how she smelled. She shouldn't have been surprised when Tom grinned at her like a madman and whispered seductively in her ear. After struggling on her next pair of work slacks and grabbing a matching work shirt, she had to make sure he was gone before she went out the door. If he had been there, she would have ended up calling in sick. So would he.

When Laurey got a call about small spotted catsharks being spotted mating, she called Anima over. After all, Anima was the shark specialist. They hopped in the car, packing up their wetsuits and diving gear before driving towards the helipad. When they got to the actual boat, Anima hurriedly began tugging her wetsuit on. Today was going to be a very good day.

\---

Anima limped slightly as she made her way down the hall of the apartment complex. She was so tired after a day of talking and arguing and high stress. Anima had gone diving to photograph the mating of the catsharks, but she got too close for one’s taste, so it bit her ankle. It wasn’t bad, just a warning nip. She only needed two stitches. Anima pulled her key out and unlocked the door, opening and shutting it gently behind her. She was greeted by the smell of Chinese takeout. "Tom?"

His head popped around the corner, still covered in makeup and eyeliner after a day of filming as the infamous Loki. He instantly understood the expression of weariness on her face. "Bad day?" he asked as he grabbed cold water from the fridge and handed it to her.

"Nothing big. How was filming?"

"It was fine, but I still want you to get it off your chest. All this bottling up won't help you at all, Annie," he said as he fetched two plates of takeout from her favorite Japanese restaurant, Sakura Hibachi.

"Alright, but don’t freak out on me. I was photographing catsharks mating, and I got in one’s space."

“You were bit, weren’t you?” he asked, growing frantic. His number one fear always had been sharks. When Anima chose her profession, he hadn’t been happy. When she got bitten the first time, he’d been furious. Now…she didn’t want to imagine it. “Where was it? Let me see it.”

Anima rolled her eyes and showed him the swollen ankle.

“Oh my God. Annie, why didn’t you call me about this?!”

“You were working. Tom, come on. I’ve been hurt worse by dolphins.”

“But dolphins don’t-“

Anima put her finger over his lips.

Tom sighed and put their plates in the sink when they were done. He patted his lap for her to place her legs on and removed her shoes. He massaged her uninjured foot and ankle to help release her tension. He told her all about his day without leaking the secrets about the film. When he was done, he had ended up rubbing all the way up to her knee. Anima crawled over next to him and curled up in his arms as they finished eating while watching a little bit of What's Eating Gilbert Grape. Afterwards, they just sat and cuddled up on the couch.

"I love you, Tom," Anima purred. "But sometimes you piss me off."

"I'm going to guess your monthly is coming with that comment," he smirked, kissing her forehead. Over the years, he had learned to keep track of her schedule and keep a steady mind when she flipped from one personality to another.

Her fingers traced over his shirt as a sheepish smile peeled across her lips. "I guess. It's a little out of whack, but it's easy to tell when it's coming when I want to take a chunk out of people," she said as Tom put his hand on her shoulder, and then a sob tore from her chest. "I'm just so tired, Tom."

Resting his chin on top of her head, Tom ran his hands down her back waiting patiently until she relaxed under his touch. "How about we go for a little walk?"

Nodding against his chest, Anima closed her eyes and took a long breath in. He smelled so masculine and clean. She let him go and listened as he cleaned his face of all the makeup and dirt. Pulling her coat on, she double checked her keys and phone before they left arm-in-arm.

"So, I was looking around for houses, and I found a few out of city life," Tom said nonchalantly.

"Yeah?"

He nodded and looked down at her. "There are two that look really promising. They both have a decent sized back yard, one has three bedrooms and the other has two," he squeezed her hand as he explained before sobering. "Would you please consider retiring early? I can take care of us both just fine. You could even travel with me."

Anima was quiet for a while, thinking it over in her head. She always wanted to travel the world, and Tom and she were fairly well off as far as finances went. Did she really want to quit her job though? She loved working as a marine biologist.

"I'll think about it."

"Good. A nice change of what we're breathing in and some quiet is just what we need.”


	5. Chapter 5

With the window open to allow in a cool breeze, Anima sprawled out on the bed with her head resting on her husband's stomach. It felt so nice to just be lazy every once in a while. To add to her relaxation, she finally had a week off after two months of intense work. Tom shifted slightly under her as he pulled his pillow further under his head. She quietly reached up and shifted his shirt just enough to touch his stomach. His stomach was delicious. She could do Jell-O shots off of him for eternity. Anima closed her eyes and chuckled when his muscles tensed under her chilled fingertips. Tom was aimlessly ran his fingers through her hair to her jaw; he placed his hand on her stomach as they stared at the fan spinning slowly.

"You know what I want?"

"Besides sex?" Anima asked with her eyes closed.

"Well, actually," he said as he sat up and glanced at her suggestively. "I was wondering if we could do something we haven't done in a long time."

Anima tilted her head a little in interest.

"Last time we did it was after my premiere for Thor 2."

Anima smiled brightly, remembering what he was talking about, and sat up as he leaned forward to kiss her. He placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her close to lift her shirt over her head. It wasn't long before they had each other undressed, and Tom was groaning deep in his throat. Anima pulled away and positioned a pillow on the bed before lying down. Tom straddled her shoulders, obviously excited.

As soon as her mouth took him in, Tom's head bucked back and gripped the sheets with his fingers and shifted his legs to make it easier for her neck so she wouldn't strain it. There was nothing Anima loved more than pleasuring Tom. She only hoped it was equally reciprocated. Placing one hand on his thigh and the other on his hip, Anima took in as much of him as she could before her gag reflex was triggered.

Pulling away, she ran her tongue along his shaft and carefully nibbled where his leg attached to his hip, enjoying feeling him tense under her touch. She returned to his swollen organ and licked over to his shaft, dragging her tongue up repeatedly. He trembled and rocked his hips just enough to push into her mouth. Tom opened his eyes for a moment to watch her do him, and he couldn't stop himself from groaning at the sight. Tom weaved his fingers through her hair, moving her mouth gently.

It wasn't long before he began to plead for her to release the base of his erection so he could climax. He began to tremble with anticipation and excitement when she finally did and he grunted, hitting his climax. He heaved deep breaths, trembling from his orgasm as he moved away from her. "Damn, that was amazing," he commented with a heavy sigh. His arms opened for her and for the next hour they laid together and held each other until his stomach made it known that he was hungry.

Laughing, Anima pulled away and playfully patted his stomach. "I swear, your gut has a bad way of interfering with our alone time," she said as she stood slowly. "Anything in particular your insane metabolism wants?"

Tom shrugged. "How about surprising me?"

Grinning, Anima walked out to the kitchen and left Tom alone.

\---

"Oi, Hiddleston! Yer hubby's on YouTube."

"Another interview?" Anima asked as she continued to read over the reports of the most recent bombing.

"Yep. Thas one gorgeous man ye got thar," she said as she turned up the volume. “Wanna listen?”

“Not really.”

"So you and your wife have been together for a while now?" the interviewer asked.

Anima felt herself tense up. No one ever really asked about her in Tom’s interviews, and she was hoping it would stay that way. It was a stupid ambition though. Eventually people would start to notice the ordinary woman off to the side while Tom soaked in the much deserved spotlight. She and Tom knew it would happen eventually. They had a plan. Tom wouldn’t bring her up at all, but if anyone asked, he would be honest. Neither of them wanted lies or scandal to taint Tom’s career.

"Yes," Tom said, a smile in his voice. "Over ten years."

"Congratulations, that's quite a while. Especially in this industry. How do you make it work? Any advice?"

"Oh no," Tom laughed. "I think I just got lucky with my wife. She's absolutely wonderful. We can't get enough time together. I'm a very lucky man."

"The glow you share must help."

"You know, I don't really think so. I think that's just an added bonus."

"Any plans for kids? Many of your fans thnk you would make very cute kids."

Anima almost choked. That would be a can of worms.

"We cannot have children, actually. My wife had a battle with cancer, and a tumor rendered her unable to have children."

"I'm sorry, any plans to adopt?"

"We've discussed it," Tom said as he seemed to relaxed.

"Our interview with Tom Hiddle-"

Anima glanced up when the mute button was hit by Laurey. She winked, and Anima thanked her before going back to the water pollution reports. Apparently the salt levels in the Thames were getting out of control in some areas. It was wreaking havoc on the marine fauna and flora as well some of the surrounding flora. It most likely had to do with the recent weather changes and the earthquakes further south. All of that just translated into work, work, and more work.


	6. Chapter 6

Anima slowly and quietly unlocked the door to the apartment and locked it behind her. It took a while for her eyes to adjust to the darkness around her. It was close to one in the morning. The apartment was dark, and dishes from Tom's dinner were in the sink soaking. Anima smiled ruefully. She was sure Tom was exhausted. He was doing interviews nonstop and trying to get into theatre again. She put up her coat and kicked off her shoes next to Tom's as she moved further in. Carefully opening the bedroom door and peeking in, Anima could see Tom fast asleep on his side and softly snoring. Anima was exhausted and could wait until morning to eat. She removed her clothes and changed into a Walking Dead t-shirt and a pair of shorts before she slipped under the sheets and cuddled up close to her sleeping husband.

Tom rolled over and placed his arm around her waist. "Nice to see you're home," he muttered tiredly.

"Sorry it took me so long."

It was roughly three in the morning when Anima woke up again. She sat at the dining table with a plate of two chicken patty sandwiches, cheese sticks, and a pineapple wedge as her late dinner. She was starving beyond words and indulged on two of her favorite things. Judging from the size of her dinner, it could have easily fed two…maybe three. Anima looked up from her thoughts and saw Tom slipping into the chair beside her.

"Hey. I thought you were asleep."

"I was, but the voice in my head told me you weren't there. I had to get up and look for you," he said as he reached for a cheese stick, but she slapped his hand back. "Hey!"

She shook her head. "Nope. Nuh uh. I'm not sharing my platter of goods. There's more in the freezer and the pan is still on the stove top. I know I normally share, but I'm not feeling up to it at the moment."

Getting up and opening the freezer door, Tom reached for the bag. "I've noticed that, actually. You sure you feel okay?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well," he placed five sticks on the pan and popped it into the oven, turning it on. "A few days back, you had a Hershey bar after lunch and then, five minutes later, you had another one. You never do that."

Anima shrugged. "I just felt like having another one. You go for two when we have pudding, why couldn't I?"

Tom chuckled. "Touché. So what were you thinking about when I came in. You had that look."

"Oh nothing. What do you think about us getting a dog?"

Tom put the sticks in a bowl and sat. "Why? You want a dog?"

She shrugged and placed her plate in the sink for washing when she was done. "Well, it's been a while since Ace passed away."

Tom sighed. "That dog hated me."

"It's just how he was. He just didn't seem to like six foot, lanky, sexy men."

Tom stretched as he put his things in the sink. "I'm going back to bed. Going to come with me or are you going to stay up all night?"

"I'm coming. You get back to bed and I'll be in there in a few minutes."

\---

"Don't touch that! I swear to God, if you touch that, I'm not touching you for a month," Anima snapped as she laid out a file on their dining table.

Over the past few days, mood swings had kept Tom's wife teetering on the verge of almost turning him inside out. Deep in his mind, Tom figured it was stress. She had been busy for the past month advocating shark preservation since Australia put a shark hunt on the news. She was going to schools, doing local news programs and much more.

"Okay, sorry," he apologized, shoving his hands in his pockets and glancing at the clock.

"I'm sorry I snapped. I'm just trying to keep this all in line so it'll be easy to work on. This press dinner is going to be a big deal. I'm not mad at you, but just don't touch anything. M'kay?"

He nodded and headed to pour himself a cup of tea, noticing she hadn't touched hers. "Got it." He sat down at the dining table and watched her effortlessly sort.

Anima stood up to stretch, picked up her mug of tea and made a face at in. "Eck. I'm not drinking tea right now. My body seems to be objecting to tea," she handed him the mug while sitting down with her hand on her stomach. "How about some crackers? Do we have crackers?"

Nodding, Tom went to the cupboard for a sleeve of crackers and opened it for her. Instead of taking out a few and placing them on a napkin for her, he handed her the whole thing for her to snack on. Hearing a knock at the door, Tom peered through the peephole and saw Laurey outside the door.

"Hey, Tom...Anima. Got things ready for us to go over?"

Anima motioned for her to come in. "Would you like something to drink? Tea? Coffee?"

Laurey nodded. "Coffee, please."

\---

Several hours later both Tom and Anima lay spent and sore after exhausting themselves. Her wild craving for sex had finally settled down and Tom was bordering conscious and unconscious, his right arm under her neck for support. After attempting to sit herself up, Anima couldn't find the strength and lay back down with a sigh. "I give up."

"Finally. You've been trying to get up for half an hour now," Tom heavily sighed and slowly pulled his arm out from under her and rubbed his shoulder. He learned, years before, when Anima wanted wild sex, she had a bad habit of nipping him in places where it wouldn't be seen in public. His shoulder was her latest victim. The inside of his left thigh still had its mark from last time. "Well, my shoulder doesn't look as bad as the inside of my thigh." He peered down and inspected that mark. "You are one mouthy woman."

Anima laughed and reached out for him to lay back down with her. "I haven't heard you complain yet." She curled up next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Tom?"

"Hm?"

"Did you learn some new moves?" She grinned up at him as he laughed. "Or were you holding those back for later use?"

"Well, I actually did...some reading up and since you were literally getting what you wanted, I figured I would try them,” he said as sleep began to overtake him.

“I like when you read.”


	7. Chapter 7

Pain...searing pain. That's all Anima had been feeling all night. She tried to hide it from Tom with little success, but they both figured it was stress. Sitting up in bed with her hand on her abdomen, Anima struggled hard to not gasp from the new burst of pain. She didn't want to alarm Tom, who was fast asleep beside her after promoting his Pirate Fairy movie with interviews. The alarm clock hadn't even gone off yet and she had been sitting up for an hour now, wondering where this pain was coming from and why. Slowly moving to hang her legs over the side of the bed, she closed her eyes and swallowed heavily. "Oh, boy," she whispered and gripped the edge of the bed.

Moose, their five month old English Bulldog puppy, grunted from Anima’s jostling and moved over to Tom’s end of the bed. They had been letting the puppy sleep in their room since they adopted him four months and two weeks prior. Moose was actually a fairly well behaved dog. Anima chalked that up to his daily runs with Tom.

Sensing something was wrong, Tom snorted awake. "Annie? What's the matter?" he asked as he sat up and moved next to her, placing his hand over hers. "What's wrong with your stomach?"

"I-I don't know."

"Are you going to vomit?" he placed his other hand on her forehead and frowned. "You're not going to work today. You're warm."

She shook her head sharply and ground her teeth. "I'm don't think I'm going to vomit and I have to go to work,” she gripped her stomach when pain rolled through her body and she gasped.

Tom shook his head.

"I have to make it to work today. If the pain gets worse, I'll call you. How about that?"

"Not good enough," he firmly stated, moving to kneel in front of her. "There's something wrong with you and I really want you to stay home today."

She shook her head. "No, I need to go to work and just work through the pain." She slowly stood up and exhaled a slow breath. "I'm going to take my shower and we'll get this show on the road."

Watching her head to the bathroom, Tom shook his head and sighed. Sometimes, he hated how stubborn she was, and since her health seemed to be suffering, he didn't like it one bit. Standing up and opening her dresser drawers to get some clothes out, he placed them on the bed and headed to the kitchen for a moment. He poured a cup of orange juice for her and headed back to the bedroom to see her slowly pulling on clothes. Handing her the glass, he watched her as she took her meds and frowned for a moment when she flinched and closed her eyes for a moment. "Are you really sure about this?" he asked softly, his hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, I'm sure. Like I said, if it gets to the point I can't stand up, I'll call you." She could clearly see he still wasn't pleased.

"Tom, I have to do this. Two workers have taken vacation this week. We’re already short staffed."

Tom sighed and nodded before grabbing for his keys to take her to work. They rode to the department in silence. Tom seemed nervous as he pulled towards the sidewalk. He leaned over and kissed her. "Promise to call me even if the pain stops?"

"I will. Good luck on the Jaguar commercial," she said as she smiled and exited the car, taking the steps as slow as possible while pain roiled through her body.

It took Anima nearly thirty minutes to reach her floor and desk. She sat carefully and opened the file, looking at the photo of a group of hammerheads off the coast. Carefully sitting down in her chair and thinking, Anima placed her hand on her abdomen and heavily sighed as a wave of pain rolled over her. It was distracting.

Laurey stopped when she noticed Anima didn't look good. "Ye okeh?"

Inhaling a sharp breath, Anima placed her hand on her stomach and closed her eyes. The pain was getting worse. "I honestly don't know anymore. Will you come with me to the facilities? Maybe hanging out in there for a bit and see what happens might help a little."

Laurey followed Anima and waited outside the handicapped stall patiently. "'Ow long 'ave ye been like this?"

"Since last night. Tom didn't want me to come to work, but if I can just hang on until lunch...I'll call him and go home," Anima groaned from the floor next to the toilet. Then she felt something liquid coming from between her legs. "Holy fuck..."

"Whas the matter?" Laurey, knowing Anima never cursed, realized something serious happened. Kneeling down beside her, Laurey noticed a clear-ish puddle under her legs. "Oh, my God. Are you pregnant?"

"What? No! I can't be! No!" Anima answered and shook her head. "That's physically impossible!"

Quickly noticing it was her water breaking and not something medically wrong, Laurey rushed out the door. "Call an ambulance!" she demanded. "We 'ave a lady in labor," she yelled before walking back in to wet a paper towel and place it on Anima's forehead.

"What's happening?"

"The ambulance is on its way. Someone's goin' to have to tell yer hubby and take 'im to the hospital to be with ye."

"No...he's working. I’ll only distract him.”

\---

Tom was looking at takes from over the director's shoulder in the parking garage. He still had on the Armani suit they dressed him in as crew members filtered by. He was pulled away by an assistant who stood at about four feet tall. They had spoken before, and Tom found her to be very unique within the industry. "Sir, you have a visitor. She says it's urgent."

Seeing Laurey after being led to her made his stomach drop. "Laurey? What are you doing here?"

"Tom, yer wife's been taken t'the hospital."

Tom paled as he sat down heavily on a block of cement. Damn the suit and it's pristine stitching. "She's been bitten, hasn't she? Lost an arm? Leg?" he asked shakily. They always knew it was a big risk.

"No, no. The pains she 'ad been feelin'? Well-"

"It's cancer," he mumbled softly, his fear taking over his mind. “Oh, fuck.”

"Will ye shut up, Tom?! Yer wife is pregnant."

Confusion took over his features and Tom's face paled even more. "What? What are you talking about? She can't be. Even i-i-if it were possible, she doesn't look pregnant."

"No’ all pregnancies ah the same, Tom, and doctors make mistakes," she explained, watching him stand up shakily.

Tom huffed; this pregnancy news wasn't going to be easy for Anima. "In her condition, there is a high possibility something can and...and will go wrong and either she or the baby could die. If I lose them both at the same time...there is no possible way I can continue my life without her."

"Don' think like that. Jus' because there's a possibility something ken go wrong, doesn't mean it will. 'ow about we head to the hospital and ye ken see ‘er. They should 'ave her there by now and in a room."

Closing his eyes for a moment, Tom inhaled a deep breath. He needed to be strong. "Okay, let's go."


	8. Chapter 8

"W-What?!" Anima asked, her voice going up several octaves. "No, no. I can't be pregnant! You've got to have the wrong test results!" she wailed as she tried to sit up and glance at the results on the clipboard; however, she fell back when sharp pain stabbed at her lower back. She felt like she was being punched in the kidneys.

"I'm positive these are your test results, Mrs. Hiddleston. The ultrasound and blood tests prove you are indeed pregnant, and your water has recently broken. Judging by fetus size on the monitor, I'd say it’s…a month early."

Anima closed her eyes and groaned in disbelief. She couldn't believe this was happening. All of her doctors said it was physically impossible for her to even produce eggs let alone carry a baby. The walls of her uterus were too weak. Now she was having a baby: Physically Impossible Hiddleston.

"Do you have a husband or a family member who can be here with you?" the doctor asked.

"My husband is busy," she whispered quietly, wondering what Tom would think. Would he be angry? Would he hate her or...or leave her for someone else? She looked at the glow in her chest nervously. All of her insecurities suddenly came rushing back at full force.

Before the doctor could say anything, a nurse knocked on the door. "There's a Tom Hiddleston looking for Mrs. Hiddleston. Would you like me to let him in?"

Anima nodded and Tom rushed in, his face pale with worry and concern. He still had on his makeup and his Armani suit. Taking her hand and seeing how uncomfortable she looked, he looked up at the doctor. "Is it true she's-" he couldn't say it.

The doctor nodded.

"W-What do we do?"

"Since she didn't know she was expecting, we need to get prepared for anything that could happen during delivery. The contractions are every five minutes apart, and she's five centimeters dilated. When she's dilated ten centimeters, that's when the baby comes. A nurse will be checking in every few minutes to see how you're doing. Don't be shy about asking questions."

Left alone in the room, Tom continued to stare at the door in shock. Anima wanted to strangle him. He wasn’t even concerned that she was in pain. He yelped softly when she grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him down. "I hate you."

Nervously chuckling, he gently pried her fingers from his shirt. "I love you, too, darling."

She reached out again, but he moved away just as her fingertips brushed his hair. He stood and left to find a nurse's station. Did he…did he blame her for not telling him? Didn’t he know that she had been just as clueless as him? Tears began to well up in her eyes, and her chest began to quiver. Please, she couldn’t have an anxiety attack. Not now. When he came back in, Tom just stood there for a minute.

"I didn't know, Tom. If I had known, I would have said something."

"I just can't wrap my head around it, Annie. When Laurey came to get me, I thought for sure you had been bitten o-or worse! I don't get it. We’re going to be bloody parents!"

"I would rather be recovering from being bitten, to be honest. I'm scared, Tom...I'm scared because I don't know what we're going to find when this baby comes. Is it going to have Downs Syndrome? I don't know! Is it going to have medical issues? I don't know!"

"You're scared for the baby."

She nodded.

"So, you're not angry at me?"

"Of course not," she said, smiling slightly when he sat beside her and ran his fingers through her damp hair. "I'm sorry I told you I hated you."

"I know you didn't mean it. From what I've seen on television, all women in labor blame the men," he smiled.

Anima took a deep breath. “Tom...we have nothing to care for a child. We’re not ready. Your career is just starting off big, and I’m always so busy. Maybe…maybe we should consider putting it up for adoption.”

He shook his head sternly. "No. Absolutely fucking not. I can't give it up, Annie. It has the Hiddleston genes running through its veins. I’ll do anything necessary to raise this baby. I-I’ll quit acting. I-I’ll-"

“Let’s not jump to such vast conclusions,” she sadly smiled. " If you don't want to give it up, then I don't want to either. Having a child isn't going to be easy for our relationship, though. It'll put a lot of stress on us, and it's not going to be easy."

"We've had a lot of stress in our relationship before and we've worked it out, right?"

She nodded.

A pudgy black nurse came in after knocking. She had thick glasses and greyish white hair in a fancy bun. "Would you like an epidural, Mrs. Hiddleston? That will take care of any pain you're feeling."

"Yes. Yes, please."

“Alright. I’m going to talk to the doctor about it. In the meantime, why don’t you roll onto your side, so when I come back, we can get right to the epidural. I’ll be right back, sweetie.”

Tom helped Anima roll onto her side, facing him. It was a little more comfortable that way. It relieved the intense pressure on her back. She tried to curl in a little and whimpered.

"Anything I can do for you?" Tom asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Anima squeezed her eyes shut and gripped Tom's hand. “It just hurts so much.”

Tom sat on the bed with her and started to carefully run his hands up and down her back. "Can you feel anything going on in your body? The baby?"

"Now that you ask, I can feel something. Maybe it's kicking? It just feels like my stomach’s upset," she turned her head to watch him place his hand gently on her lower abdomen. "Feel anything?"

"Oh my God, I do! Holy shit!" he couldn't contain his excitement.

Anima giggled. "We thought it was stress. Imagine if this was a planned pregnancy. I'd be as big as a hippo."

His laugh rang through the room as he moved his hands to rub her hips and thighs, feeling her muscles spasm from a contraction. "Take a few deep breaths, love. Focus on my voice."

There was a knock at the door. "Yes?"

There were two nurses. One glanced down at her clipboard. "We're here to do a few tests with an Anima Hiddleston and make sure she's ready for an epidural."

Tom helped Anima to a sitting position on the bed. Both nurses began explaining what they were going to do. "We need to draw some blood, get some fluids going and check the fetus's heart rate. Once the epidural is in, we'll have to give you a catheter, unless you'd like a walking epidural."

"What's that?" Tom asked.

"It's an epidural that allows her to walk around while not feeling the pain of the contractions. If she can't sit still anymore or wants to walk around, she'll be able to do that."

Anima thought it over for a moment. "If I can have it done, can I have that?"

"Certainly. Let’s do some tests and make sure you and the fetus are up for it, and we'll get back."

Tom moved out of the way of the two nurses and observed, full of curiosity about what they were doing. He watched their every move with observing eyes and kept an eye on Anima as well. He watched the nurses lay her on her back with the fetal monitor on her stomach, and then he heard a heartbeat from the computer. He could hardly contain his smile, and he looked like an anxious five year old bouncing up and down on the balls of his heels. As soon as they finished, Tom moved back to Anima's bedside.

"Shouldn't be much longer. Hopefully you'll be more comfortable."

"I hope so. Might even get me a chance to actually close my eyes and get a little bit of rest."

"Come in," he called as the nurses and an anesthesiologist came in behind them a little while later. "Is she good to get an epidural?"

She nodded and looked over her file. "Looks good. Her blood tests came out clean, and the IV has already been set. Hope you're not hungry because you won't be able to eat or drink anything once the epidural is in."

"That's the last thing on my mind."

"All right. First, let’s get you laying on your side and curl up to give me a view of your spine," the anesthesiologist said from behind her.

Tom, moving to stay at eyesight level, held her hand firmly in his and gave her a weak smile. He listened carefully as the doctor spoke. When Anima felt the burn of a needle numbing the area where the epidural catheter was going, she exhaled and struggled to not move closer to Tom for comfort. She was scared.

Leaning down and pressing his forehead against her's, Tom's fingers moved to stroke her cheek. "I'm right here, sweetheart."

"I'm scared."

"I know. I'm scared too," he whispered softly, pressing his lips against her temple.

The doctor looked up. "We're going as slow as possible. If you see her starting to get emotional, keep her comfortable. Just tell us, and I'll pause to allow her to relax."

Tom nodded and looked down at Anima.

Anima lay as still as she could as she felt a contraction rip through her once more. Gripping his hand firmly with both hands, she felt him move closer to the bed and press his cheek up against her's, shushing her gently. Anima began to feel the effect of the epidural and gradually released her hold on his hand. Within another minute, her entire body relaxed and the hovering pain from her latest contraction began to ease.

The doctor placed her hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "All done. Just going to tape this into place and you'll be able to walk around a little and get some rest. Good luck.”

Once they were alone, Tom began kissing her face gently as he ran his fingers through her hair. It was lulling Anima to sleep. "We should call our families and let them know what's going on."

"Should I really drop this on their laps with no warning? 'Hey, Mum. It's me. Annie's in the hospital and in labor. Oh, and I hope you were sitting down for that news.' Yeah, that will be great for her to hear."

"They need to know they have a grandchild on the way."

Tom exhaled and groaned slightly, sliding down in his seat. "What 'til your father hears about this. I'll never hear the end of it."

"Please, Tom,” Anima asked. “For me?"

"Okay. I should probably call Luke too," he finally acquiesced, giving her hand a firm squeeze and reaching for his phone. "I'm going to step outside the door. If you need anything, just yell."

\---

Grasping Tom's hand firmly in hers, Anima groaned deep in her throat as her husband continued to encourage her to keep pushing as the doctor coaxed. Then he told her to stop.

"Everything okay?" Tom asked, looking up for a moment to see the doctor's eyebrows furrowed.

"Everything's okay. I just need to get the fluid out of its mouth and make sure the cord isn't around the neck before we continue. There's a lot of dark curly hair on the baby's head, if you want to see," he offered and chuckled when Tom gave him a quizzical look. "I mean it. You can come over here and see your baby's head."

Thinking it over, Tom decided against it. He wanted to enjoy sex in the future. "I-I don't think I can," he grasped Anima's hand when the doctor nodded and began coaxing her to begin again.

"This is so uncomfortable, Tom," Anima confessed as she inhaled a heavy breath to steady the shaking in her legs and torso.

Shushing her gently and kissing her forehead, he brushed away hair that was stuck to her neck. "It's going to be okay. Just breathe for me. Breathe."

"One shoulder is out," the doctor announced, sucking the fluid from its mouth and nose. "Just need to get past the second shoulder and we'll have a baby."

After one last push, tiny infant screams bounced off the walls. Anima sobbed in relief and fell back on the bed, her chest heaving from the exertion. Tom watched the nurse carry the crying bundle over to him and put it in his arms. It was wrapped in blue: a boy.

"Alright, how about we deliver the placenta and get you settled while they check him over?"

Tom didn't hear anything else as he followed and watched the nurses clean his son like a hawk. He wasn't letting his son out of his sight for anything. The baby was so tiny, and his cries sounded so small. The nurse let Tom try to soothe his bay as they drew blood and printed him. Tom’s son had a good grip as he kicked and flailed. Tom couldn’t more proud.

"Do either of you know if Tay Sachs is in your family linage?"

"My niece died from it," Tom grimaced. “On my wife’s side.”

"Okay, we’ll test for that. It's going to take a while, so we're going to take him to Neonatal, do some tests, check him over, and we'll bring him over when we're done. It would be best to breast feed him as soon as we return him."

Anima sat up in the hospital bed, legs slightly crossed while Tom sat curled up beside her. They were both scared to death of what problems could be found in their son. Anima was lost in her thoughts of her late niece, Hannah. Hannah had suffered from Tay Sachs and died a painful death at only four years old. She passed away in her mother's arms after weeks of fighting off pneumonia complications. What if their child had mental health issues?

After hours of waiting, a nurse knocked on the door and they both looked up for the news. "There's somebody who wants to see you two," she happily announced as she carried a clear bassinet with a squirming bundle inside. "He has a clean bill of health. No diseases, illnesses and all ten fingers and toes."

They breathed a sigh of relief, and Anima held her arms out for the nurse to put him in. "Hey there, little guy," she looked down at him as he stared up at her, blinking heavily. "How much does he weigh?"

"About three kilos, and he's 59 centimetres long."

Tom whistled, moving to look at him. "You're a big baby."

Anima smirked. "He got that from you."

Tom held hands out, and Anima carefully placed the baby in his arms. "He looks like you."

"Your hair, long fingers and long arms and legs...he's a mini you, Tom." The baby whimpered slightly and Tom gently rocked him. "He does have my eyes and nose though. Thank God he didn't get my dad's cleft chin."

Tom chuckled. "He needs a name."

"We need clothes, diapers and a crib, too," Anima added, watching Tom place the infant on the bed in front of her as he slowly pulled apart the blanket to look at him. Running her fingers along his arms and belly, she grinned to herself. "Look at that big, expressive face," she cooed. "What does he look like?"

"Well, I don't know. Say a name and let's see if it fits him."

"I'm not going to accept Thomas Jr. as a suitable name."

Moving to get a better look at the infant, Tom started to think. "Asher?"

"Hmm...doesn't look like an Asher."

"Eustace?"

"God, no."

"Oberon?"

Anima just glared.

Tom shrugged with a cocky smile and laughed when she playfully smacked him. "Worth a shot. Um...how about Ben? Benjamin?"

"No. What about...Cobalt?"

Looking down at the sleeping baby, Tom grinned. "Cobalt Jones Hiddleston...I love it. We'll call him CJ for short."

Wrapping the infant back up in the blanket and cradling him close to her chest, Anima kissed CJ's forehead gently. "Hello, CJ. I’m your mum."

"My fans and some reporters may want to meet him as we're leaving," Tom said as he reached out and touched CJ's curly dark hair. Reaching into his pocket, he extracted his cell phone. "I should call Luke and the gang. They've been asking about you. You going to nurse him while I step out?"

Anima nodded as she shifted the blankets and then the hospital gown. "Yeah, I should. Mind pulling the curtain so I don't have to expose myself to the world?"

Tom pulled the curtain to give her privacy and headed into the hall to place calls. Tugging down her hospital gown and moving a pillow onto her lap, Anima carefully positioned her squalling baby as he began to cry. "C'mon now. I know you sucked your thumb in the womb, so this should be a piece of cake," she whispered as she tickled his bottom lip and he latched on. "Ow! That hurt," Anima winced and laid her head back on the pillow as exhaustion started taking over.

Shaking her head to stay awake a little longer, Anima looked down at and noticed a pair of big eyes were looking in her direction. She chuckled and tucked his blanket around him a little more. "Hello, CJ. Do you know you have my big googly eyes?"

He blinked up at her as if responding before exhaling loudly and shifting closer to her.

\---

Tom quietly peered around the curtain to watch her before he slipped back out into the hall. "Hey, Chris. It's me."

"Hey, man. How's Annie?"

"She's just fine...we have a surprise addition to our family."

"You're shitting me!"

"A bouncing baby boy. We're calling him CJ. The problem is that we have nothing to take him home in. Think you could get Elsa to do a bit of shopping?" he asked carefully. “I’ll give you a card.”

"I'd love to, Tom," a distant echo called. "Give Annie all my love."

Giving his thanks and ending the call, Tom quietly walked into the room just as Anima readjusted her gown. "All done?"

Anima nodded sat the baby up in her lap patting his back. "He drinks fast and hard like he wants to finish quickl."

Tom leaned in and carefully took hold of CJ so Annie could rest. His tiny eyes were fighting off sleep, much like Anima was now. He flailed as Tom situated him close to his chest. "Why don't you get some sleep? Nothing's going to happen to CJ while I'm holding him."

"I know. I just...I can't stop watching him. I don't want to fall asleep in case something spectacular happens."

"Annie, he's only two hours old. Do you really think he's going to walk and talk as soon as you fall asleep? Get some rest, and I'll use the call button if I need the nurse."

Finally agreeing to get some rest, Anima closed her eyes and was out like a light within minutes. Shifting his attention to the baby in his arms, Tom crossed his right leg over his left. Running his fingers along the tiny fingers and face that mirrored his, the infant squished his face and opened his big eyes slowly. Blinking in the low light and whimpering a little, Tom gently shushed him and softly talked to him. "Hey, hey, hey let's not cry now. Your poor mum is exhausted."

The infant looked up at Tom and continued to stare up at him as if he was taking in everything like a sponge. He grasped Tom's nostril, and Tom grinned like mad. "Love you too."


	9. Chapter 9

Tom knelt down and pulled Anima's hood further over her face while she sat in the wheelchair. She had put on sunglasses and wrapped up CJ as well, holding him close to her chest. They didn't want press and fans mobbing them or shooting candids as they made their way to their car. They would use the service entrance where Tom had his car waiting. They were cautious as he wheeled her out. They couldn’t see anyone coming, so he hurriedly strapped CJ into their new carseat. After strapping CJ into the car and helping his wife into the back to watch him, Tom pulled out onto the road cautiously. He only saw a small group outside, but Anima didn't want photos if their baby swimming across the internet. He completely understood.

On the way to their apartment, Tom drove like an old man. He had a big sticker on every window that said baby on board, and he even had on the hazard lights. Anima sat in the back, commenting about it with a giggle in her voice. Tom felt he was actually quite justified.

When they got to their apartment, there was quite a circus going on there. They arrived just in time to witness Elsa instructing the three guys that made up Tom's circle of friends, all of them were carrying various items. Tom helped Anima into the house where Elsa had followed so she could see CJ for herself. Anima pulled the blanket away to reveal a wrinkly little face for her to coo over.

Elsa herself was quite a new mom. She just gave birth to twin boys: Tristan and Sasha. They were about two months old now, and Elsa had them in a playpen in the corner. They were sleeping side-by-side in their blankets.

"Oh! He's adorable!" Elsa said quietly. "I didn't catch what Chris said about his name. What's is it?"

"Cobalt Jones," Tom said proudly as he rearranged the blanket over him. Since leaving the hospital, he had been nit-picking about how warm or cold his son was.

"Tom," Anima interrupted.

"Hm?"

"Why don't you help the guys? I'll sit here on the sofa and try to rest a little bit."

Tom nodded and went to find Chris, who was in his bedroom. "Need help?"

"Umm...yeah. What I'm doing here is moving the dressers a little closer together to give room for who ever is pacing around and rocking him," he said as he stood on one side of a dresser.

Tom reached for the other side and pulled as he pushed.

"There we go."

Tom reached for the bassinet and moved it next to the dressers.

"Now, would you like the changing table to be in here or out in the living room area?"

"Hell, I don't know. I'm not really the pro on this one. Where would you put it? You're the one with experience."

"It would be better to have it in the living room since your bathroom isn't big enough. If you put it in here, you or Ann could wake the other from the kid's crying."

Tom nodded and walked out where he saw Anima nodding off. "Is he awake?" he mouthed to Elsa who currently held CJ.

She nodded and reached down to touch his tiny hand. "I remember when India was this small. Now I've got two new boys to look after."

"Hey, um, mind if we call it a night? I know it's still-"

Elsa cut him off. "Oh, no. It's fine. Yes, we can leave now and you can call us when you need us."

With that, she handed CJ to Tom and then herded the three men out of the house. Tom sighed and sat down beside Anima. She just grunted in her sleep, digging her toes under his thigh like she always did. It was an annoying habit that often woke him in the middle of the night. He wouldn’t trade it for the world though. Especially not now.

"Wait a minute...you're making a face at me. Are you...? Shit. Looks like I'm breaking in the changing table."

Tom walked over to the changing table and made sure everything he needed was within reach. He gently strapped CJ in and pulled the diaper away.

"Fucking shit!" Tom yelped as a stream of urine shot up and in his direction. Thankfully he was only sprinkled by the stream. When his son seemed to be finished, he wiped him and strapped him with a new diaper. His son had a goofy gas-grin. "You planned that, didn't you?" he grumbled softly, his hand on his son's stomach as he tickled him.

CJ breathed heavily and wiggled under his father's touch.

Tom smiled and unstrapped CJ before putting him in a onesie Ben bought him. It was green and had "I Believe in Sherlock Holmes" emblazoned on the front. Typical Ben. Tom yawned as he picked CJ up and laid him in his bassinet. CJ flailed, but then he relaxed and started to doze off. Tom continued to rub his son's belly until he was asleep.

"Tom?" Anima whispered from behind him. She still sounded exhausted.

"Hey, I was planning to get some sleep,” Tom said, wrapping himself around her. She laid against him, still breathing heavily with sleep. “Want to join me?"

"Mhm. Tom?"

“Hm?”

“Will you carry me? My lady parts ache.”

Tom snickered softly and picked her up bridal style. He carried her over to the bed and sat her down before undressing her and putting her in one of his t-shirts. She just sat there like a doll until he gently eased her onto the bed. As he was undressing he could hear her deep breathing. Poor thing was still so stressed and tired. Tom eased himself into bed and wrapped himself around her.


	10. Chapter 10

Tom sat at a local bar with the guys at each of his sides, shooting back a few drinks. T=It was a tradition to catch up when everyone was in town at the same time. That meant they usually met about once a month to catch up. "I swear,” Tom started as he ordered another drink. “That baby has us well trained like fucking dogs."

"How old is he now?" Martin asked, motioning for a refill as well.

"Three weeks since yesterday," he replied in between two sips to empty his glass. "Annie's probably sitting in a chair, rocking CJ to sleep."

“Don’t you have a new puppy too?” Ben asked.

“Moose? He’s been pretty good since all this started. He thinks of CJ as his now. He’s always next to him. Hell, he doesn’t even sleep in our bed anymore. He sleeps under the bassinet.”

"You two have a routine yet?" Chris asked.

"Hell yes. We take turns taking care of him—except for the nursing bit. That's gonna change though when I head to Canada for Crimson Peak."

"You'll miss him. I know I missed Indie when we were filming Avengers."

"You never quit talking about her," Tom chortled as he took the drink from the bartender. “Ah, I’ll be the same way.”

"Has he had his first check-up yet?" Ben asked as he bit into a corn nut.

Tom nodded. "He's developing perfectly. Couldn't have asked for a healthier baby," he flashed a smile. "He smiled for the first time last night while I was getting him ready for bed!"

"Man," Martin snickered. "You're losing your touch. I’m gonna have to revoke your man card."

"Wank off man," Tom snickered before checking his phone. "I gotta get going."

"Scared of Anima?"

"Piss off," Tom said grinning. "Of course I am."

Tom drove home in silence until his stomach started growling. He was supposed to cook dinner tonight too. He swore under his breath and sped home as quickly as he could. When he got home, he saw CJ in his bouncy chair hanging from the door frame. Moose came to the door, received his pat to the head and went back to pawing at the baby’s toes. Anima was wearing a pair of his boxers and a sheer purple camisole. She was cutting potatoes at the counter next to the stove. Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

"I thought I was supposed to cook."

"You were out having fun. I'm not completely useless, you know. I can still cook."

Tom smiled and walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her torso. "I know that, love," he said, kissing her neck and cheek. "Thank you. How's CJ?"

"He's been good. Been watching mommy work on the potatoes and chicken for dinner and waiting for daddy to come home so he can play. Haven't we, CJ?"

CJ wiggled happily and made a screeching sound, ignoring them as he watched Moose at his feet.

Tom tickled his son's tummy before pulling him out of the chair and taking him to the living room. He put out his washed baby blanket and laid him on it on his belly. The three week old kicked out and grunted as Tom wiggled toys in front of him. Every once in a while, his little arms would push up to stare at Tom, and then he'd plop back down. Moose came trotting in moments later before laying next to the baby and licking at his fingers.

"Have a good drink with the boys?"

"We always do. We talked about CJ, weather, how work is going and career plans."

"Oh?"

"I was thinking about something."

"Yes?"

"How about you and CJ come with me to Canada? It could be a nice family vacation. I'd enjoy getting to see you two at the end of each day."

Anima paused. "What about my work?"

Tom paused. "Won't you still be on maternity leave?"

"I might go back early," she said, but then she sighed. "Or I might not go back at all."

"What?" Tom asked. "Why?"

"Well...now that CJ's here, I want to spend all the time I can with him. I want to be with him during all the fundamentals. I’d start back when he started...middle school maybe?"

"It's something worth discussing I guess."

"There's something else," she said, putting the chicken in the oven and laying on CJ's other side. "He's going to outgrow the bassinet. We’ll have move him to the crib soon. We don't have enough space in our bedroom for a crib. If we moved him into the living room, it'll just take up space we don't really have."

Inhaling a deep breath, Tom crossed his left leg over his right and began to think. "When will he be too big?"

"Around three months. Basically, when he begins to sit up and move around," she said as she averted her eyes as she let CJ suck on her washed pinkie.

"Something the matter?"

"I need to nurse him and get him ready for bed. Will you finish dinner?"

"Sure, love."

Before he knew it, she was gone to their bedroom. Tom drained the potatoes of the water and checked the chicken. He was worried that Anima had become so silent and withdrawn. Usually, Anima nursed right there at the table in front of him, but she never hid away before. Covering the potatoes, he walked over to the bedroom and slowly opened the door to see tears running down her cheeks. "Annie, love? You okay?"

Unable to wipe her face dry, Anima inhaled a deep breath and finally shook her head. "No, I'm not."

Tom immediately walked to the bed and wrapped an arm around her, careful not to disturb the baby.

"What if I ruined his life? What if there's something wrong with him because I didn't know I was pregnant?"

Sighing and placing his hands on her shoulders, Tom leaned down to look into her eyes. "Darling, you're having postpartum depression."

"How do you know?" she whimpered angrily.

"I looked it up," he said as he kissed her forehead and stroked CJ's hair. "See what you're doing now? You're nursing our son in a way every mother should do. You are a good mother."

"If I'm such a good mother, how could I have not known I was carrying him?"

"It's not your fault you didn't know. I'm going to finish dinner, give your therapist a call and you can put CJ to bed so we can have dinner. Okay?"

She nodded and broke the latch between her and CJ.

Anima sat at the table just as Tom placed a plate down for her with perfectly cooked chicken and mashed potatoes topped with cheese and chives. "Thanks, Tom," she flashed a small smile and waited until he sat down with his plate before eating.

\---

Startled awake from the sound of CJ crying loudly around ten, Tom slowly got up and reached into the crib. "What's the matter, sport?"

Everything was worse as Moose howled along with the baby. The neighbors wouldn’t be happy about this. Tom gently kicked Moose with his toe. CJ's fists were clenched tightly and his knees were held close to his chest. He was shaking with each massive wail. This was something he hadn't seen before. Holding him close to his chest, he placed his hand on Anima's shoulder and gently woke her. "Annie? Have you seen this before?"

Anima sat up and took him from Tom's arms, checking him over. Removing his onesie, she noticed his belly was distended. She rubbed his belly gently, and he started to cry even louder. "Looks like colic. We're going to be up for a while. There's gas trapped in his body, and it's uncomfortable. There are ways to calm him or soothe the pain, but it may not work,” Anima looked up at him, exhausted, and got up to head into the living room.

"What can we do to calm him?"

"We can bounce him, pump his feet or we can continue to hold him and offer comfort and show him we're not going to ignore his crying," she said as she sat in the rocking chair by the window and patted his back as he continued to cry. Moose crawled up into her lap too. "I fed him only an hour ago, he feels dry and doesn't smell like he needs a change, so it has to be colic."

Closing his eyes and applying pressure to his temples, Tom walked into the kitchen and made them both some tea. They couldn’t afford to lose it. "This should help if you start feeling stressed," he whispered near her ear, noticing her forehead was starting to show familiar stress lines.

An hour into their son's crying, Anima passed him off to Tom to give her ears and arms a break. He began to bounce and talk to CJ in hopes it would calm or distract him. Nothing seemed to calm the baby. Holding him close to his chest and shushing him, Tom cradled his crying, tearful son until tears came to his own eyes. He didn't know what to do. He was exhausted, and he just wanted to sooth their son's pain. "I don't know what do to."

"Take some deep breaths, Tom, and keep rocking him."

Anima put together the baby swing while Tom continued to pace with CJ. When she was done, they placed the crying infant in the swing and began to swing him. Fifteen minutes later, their son finally calmed down. Sitting down and resting her head on Tom's shoulder, she wondered when she would get a chance to grab some sleep. Five minutes later, CJ began to whimper again and she sat straight up.

"I didn't pinch him, I swear," Tom said as he looked in her direction.

"No, no. It's okay," she said, laying CJ on her lap. She took hold of his legs and moved them in a peddling motion. The more she did it, the more he began to calm down. Eventually, CJ had been reduced to sniffling and wrinkling his face with pain. It took nearly four hours to get him back to sleep. Colic lasted nearly four months.


	11. Chapter 11

Two month old CJ cooed happily and waved his arms as Tom continued to wash his tiny curls. Tom often took showers with his son. It was much easier to do it this way. The only issue was that his son was rather slippery when wet much like a big bar of soap. Hearing Anima on the phone in the other room, CJ paused and screeched with a big, toothless grin. Tom laughed, and CJ smiled up at him. "I think he's calling for you, Annie."

"I can hear that!" Anima called out before returning to her conversation, likely pumping breast milk.

In the early morning, Anima nursed CJ on one breast and held a pump to her other in attempts to give Tom what he needed while she was away at work. For now, Tom was caring for his son and looking over his script for his new movie, High Rise. Tom came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. Ben wore a hooded Vulcan towel from his Uncle Bradnt.

"Are you sure you have enough bottles in there?" he asked once Anima got off the phone. "He eats like there's no tomorrow."

"I'm sure. I'll nurse him once I get home at six."

CJ looked at her curiously. Anima smiled and kissed his forehead. "Going to be good for daddy?" she asked.

Shifting his hold of the baby, Tom pulled her into a hug and kiss. "Just be careful, okay? CJ and I don't need you going into a dangerous situation on your first day back…or any other day for that matter."

Then Tom was left alone for the first time with their son. Sighing, he glanced at the boy and earned a gurgle with a trail of drool trailing from his small mouth. "Well, how about we order pizza and drink some beer?"

CJ cooed and smiled in response.

“Moose, get out of that diaper bag! Damn dog.”

\---

Two hours into her shift, Anima was in a chopper headed for Dorset where a boat would take her and four others to a feeding area for basking sharks. Watching her clock carefully, she mentally told herself Tom and CJ were fine without her. She needed to focus on her work, she reminded herself as she untied the boat from the dock.

\---

Coming home after her nine hour shift, Anima slowly and quietly unlocked and opened the door in case either Tom or her son were asleep. Placing her coat on the coat rack and kicking her shoes off, she came across an image that made her smile. Fast asleep on the couch was Tom and, resting comfortably on his chest, was CJ. Moose had his head on the baby’s back as he slowly stirred but didn’t move. These were her men. Both were in deep sleep and the baby looked content sleeping on Tom's chest. Smiling, she bent down and kissed Tom's lips and draped a thin blanket over them. She wasn't going to move them in case CJ woke up. She decided to read instead of sleep since CJ was going to need to be fed in a few minutes.

An hour into reading, she was pulled away from the paragraph when she felt long fingers caress her arm. "When did you get back?" Tom asked softly.

"About an hour ago. I didn't want to wake you up since you both looked so content," she combed her fingers through his hair, and he closed his eyes in content. "How did you get him to fall asleep?"

Tom sat up, holding CJ to his chest. "I played with him, fed him and then he was out like a light. Like you told me; sleep when the baby sleeps."

Anima kissed him. "Let's go lie down."

Tom nodded and gently laid CJ in his bassinet which had been moved to the living room. Once they were alone, Tom pulled her to him and kissed her. "Do you know how much I love you?"

"I could guess. How about you show me?"

Tilting his head a little, Tom got closer if that was even possible. "Are you sure? Does your body feel comfortable to do this?"

"Yes," Anima purred as they both began undressing. Tom stopped her from going to the bed. Anima blushed, very self-conscious of her body. “How do I look?”

Tom took Anima's hand and pressed it to his cock. "What do you think?" his hands began roving down her spine and squeezing her clothed buttocks in his palms.

"T-Tom,” she whined, breathless.

“Can we do the thing?”

Anima nodded breathlessly.

“Same safeword?”

Another nod.

Tom began undressing Anima slowly, letting his fingers brush over her skin lazily. Anima groaned under his touch. “Now, now, pet, you need to be quiet. We wouldn’t want the baby to wake now would we? Or perhaps you would. Perhaps you’d like to do it outside, or with the windows open. Let everyone hear what a whore you are for me. Because you’re mine, pet. Perhaps they’d watch from their windows. Stare with longing at your perfect, sweating body, chest heaving and eyes dilated with want. Watch with envy as I lay claim to you. Would you like that, dear?” he cooed silkily.

Anima swallowed hard but nodded just the faintest of nods.

“Hm?”

“Y-Yes sir,” Anima breathed, her face bright red.

Tom wrapped his fully clothed self around her, coming so close his lips were right beside his ear. “Now, what I want you to do is go get me a few ties and bring them here. You will lay them neatly out on the bed. Then you will prepare yourself. Three fingers at least, love. Now get moving,” he ordered, smacking her bum lightly.

Red faced and biting her full lips, Anima nodded and stumbled through the room. Her slim fingers scrambled for a fistful of ties before making her way to the bed where Tom sat, silently watching with almost unnerving and wildly arousing intensity. He watched carefully, and smirked.

“Good girl.”

Tom patted the bed, and Anima crawled into the middle of it. She slid three fingers into her mouth which only added to the heat pooling below his gut. She could hear Tom’s jagged breathing despite his attempts to hide it. For the others benefit, she omitted a low, throaty moan around her fingers.

When Anima pulled the fingers free, she licked her lips to rid herself of the extra saliva and leaned back to offer herself a better angle. She closed her, running her finger lightly over her clit and gathering natural lubricant before slowly inserting her index finger. With a gasp, the finger was all the way in. Wow, she was still tight. Slowly, Anima slid in and out of herself, breath hitching more often than not at the pleasure it gave. Anima pushed the next two in and began searching for that one spot. Anima moved her fingers at a new angle in search of that spot.

“Stop,” Tom barked suddenly.

With a shaky nod, and even shakier legs, Anima slowly relaxed.

Tom chuckled and crawled between her legs. He kissed her roughly, sucking his tongue and exerting the dominance he’d assumed for the night. With tremendous self-control, Tom pulled away, his lips tingling and out of breath, though he pretended otherwise. He grabbed hold of one tie, wrapping it once firmly, around Annie’s wrist. He tied a secure knot around the furthest bar of the headboard, then repeated the process with the other wrist. Anima tugged lightly at the binds to test their give, before deeming them satisfactory. As she did so, Tom took a third tie before gently lifting his wife’s head and covering her eyes, tying it loosely behind her head. Anima squirmed for a bit getting used to the blackness and Tom chuckled faintly. He decided to leave the other’s legs unbound for the time being, until he decided on a position for them to be in, or if he wanted to tie them at all .

Anima listened to the breathing of her husband and tried to anticipate what would come next. It seemed as though he wasn’t even moving, perhaps only standing there staring. She heard the shifting of fabric and then nothing yet again. Then there was pressure on the bed and a faint squeaking of the springs in the mattress as Tom nudged her legs apart and settled between them. Anima was forced to simply feel the ghostly touches Tom delivered, fingers so light they nearly tickled as they ran across her skin. The sensation made her squirm.

The hands began to explore. Anima wondered if this was a legitimate form of torture, because it should be. Tom avoided desired area at all costs, choosing instead to massage, rub, and tease every other part of her. He bit down onto her collar bone and moved down to lap at her nipple which began to leak. Tom didn’t seem to mind though. Anima groaned as he continued to lap like a dog.

“You’re beautiful. Absolutely fucking gorgeous. I love your tits…your lips…your feet..everything,” he purred as he sucked her earlobe. “Do you want me? Do you like when I do this to you? Tell you what I adore about you, pet?”

“God, yes, Sir.”

“Yes to which, pet?”

“Ev-everything. Yes to everything, oh God… P-please… I need you…Sir,” she panted breathlessly. Then every comprehensible thought was wiped when Tom ground down onto her with deliciously needed friction.

“And you’ll have me. Just not yet.”

What pressed against her entrance was cold and hard and distinctly not Tom. It entered her, making her want something warm…longer…thicker. She wanted Tom. Then it was shifted and it brushed against her upper wall and Anima’s entire body tensed. Anima heard a “click” and it started vibrating, shaking her to the core. It felt too good, and then Tom moved it and Anima squeaked.

The torturous pleasure continued like that for what seemed like hours before finally another click and the buzzing ended. Anima was left to pant heavily and allow her lips to be captured for several kisses that slowly grew more and more heated, and soon Tom’s hands found their way to her hair and neck. Tom’s mouth worked at her neck and shoulders until Anima was left biting her tongue to hold back any noise.

“Jesus you’re so fucking hot… It really isn’t fair,” Tom purred as he moved down to her legs. “You’ll feel me for days,” he quickly made his way out of his pants and underwear and kicked them to the floor, unable to hold himself back much longer. “Put your legs up,” he ordered and helped Anima to balance her legs on Tom’s shoulders as he shifted to enter and did so with an unexpected gentleness.

Anima groaned softly and linked her ankles behind Tom’s head and exhaled shakily when he entered. Anima felt so full, and it was heavenly and when Tom found the perfect angle, Anima couldn’t help but offer a moan of appreciation. Tom didn’t seem to mind. Anima’s body tensed at her oncoming orgasm. Tom leaned down and kissed her hotly, ramming into her for the last hurrah.

When Anima was finally allowed to come, she did so with such a force she was shocked he didn’t black out. She felt Tom release inside her before resting his weight on Anima’s torso, both of them slick with sweat. They panted in silence for a good three minutes before Tom sat up and untied the ties from both wrists and pulled the one from his wife’s head before laying atop her again.

“Satisfactory?” Tom panted between needy kisses.

“Perfect.”


	12. Chapter 12

Three month old CJ Hiddleston looked around on his belly, observing and listening to the voice he knew quite well. Bracing himself up on his arms and lifting his head, his big toothless smile broke out when he saw Anima walking over. It took him a while to get used to the rocking of the boat on the ocean. Now that they were just drifting, he was much more content. Anima had just returned from the water, still in her wetsuit, reading plankton charts and punching in information on her laptop. CJ babbled happily as he was lifted up and placed on Anima's lap as she sat down.

Anima looked down at CJ's playpen where she put him since he was starting to become more active. His favorite toy so far was a brightly colored rattle with a big bird at the end—something he grabbed at the store before she could stop him. He cried when Anima put it back, but once she gave it to him he calmed right down. After it was cleaned several times at home, she handed it to him and he went right ahead sucking and shaking it.

"Babababababababa," he said, patting her laptop screen with his hand, like he was describing the graph. Looking up at his mother, the little Hiddleston smacked the keys and squealed.

"Yes. That's a chart. Can you say chart?"

"Bababa," he gurgled while drool traveled down his chin and landed on his bib.

Anima sighed and wiped his chin. "You, my dear boy, are a drool machine. Do you know that?"

CJ stuck his tongue out and pulled it back in without even blinking.

Anima snorted. "You are a personality-ridden baby."

Anima continued until she was finished with her work and clicked out of her program. CJ slapped her background picture of Tom and her. "Dababa!"

"That's right CJ; that's your mummy and daddy."

CJ reached up and jerked her braid. "Bababa," he babbled with a straight face.

"You're are absolutely right, CJ. You have no idea how good you have it," she beamed down at her son and sat, placing CJ on his belly. She watched as he pushed his head up for a few seconds before lying back down. He cooed and continued to babble, his rattle in his hand.

“Oi, Hiddleston, let me see that baby.”

\---

"CJ seems to like the books my mom sent for him," Anima tiredly commented to her computer screen where a skype camera showed her husband's face.

CJ was sleeping soundly in the crib out in the living room since he had outgrown his bassinet. Tom insisted she let him see their son, so she had to quietly tip-toe into the living room with her laptop in her hands. Plans to get the house they wanted just outside the city were going well, and she was starting up the packing process. Once Tom returned from his shoots, they would start their move.

Laying on her stomach and drifting in and out of sleep, Anima cracked a small smile. "He's going to crawl soon."

"I'm aware. I wonder if I'm up for that," Tom said just as weakly. They were both exhausted.

“You’d better get used to the idea because it’s coming.”

\---

Anima stood in the kitchen, stirring breast milk with baby rice cereal to slowly begin introducing food to CJ. "Going to eat from the spoon, CJ?" she asked, sitting down in a chair that faced his high chair. The living room was full of boxes for their upcoming move and space was limited. Making sure the mixture was thin, Anima strapped an elephant bib around his neck and scooted closer. This was going to be fun. If only Tom could be there to witness it.

The white creamy food dribbled down CJ’s chin as his tongue did a reflex and pushed it out. Scooping it up with the baby spoon and moving it around, Anima grinned when he mimicked her grin and popped it in. With two big swallows, the food went down and CJ squealed, spraying food particles on Anima's shirt. "You are so lucky this is not my work shirt," she smirked, clapping her hands when he clapped happily. "I'm so proud you swallowed your food, CJ. Good boy."

"Bababadaga,"

"Can you say 'Dada' or 'Mumma'?" she cooed. "Your daddy would be very proud if you say 'Dada' when he came home," she stirred the contents in the bowl and scooped up just a little. "Can you open up?" she asked, flying it around as CJ watched her hand. "Here is comes!"

"Daba!" CJ happily squealed and took in the spoon, working hard to swallow the food instead of pushing it out.

Anima laughed and wiped his chin with the bib. "You're taking to the food better than I thought you would. You could be prime minister with your attitude, little man."

Over the next ten minutes, CJ was happily fed by his mother until he was done, turning his head away from the spoon. Keeping him strapped in the high chair, she placed the bowl and spoon in the dishwasher. Once she was done, she decided to send some new pictures to hers and Tom’s mother. It had been a while since they’d sent pictures of CJ.


	13. Chapter 13

Tom placed his prized books in a specific safety-proofed box and closed it carefully. The movers they hired headed out of the apartment as he was finishing up, carrying the couch and several other boxes to the truck. They were recommended by friends, and they treated their belongings with respect, but he didn't want his books to be touched. He was going to transport them with his car instead. He trusted himself most with his books.

CJ sat in his bouncy chair, mouthing his rattle and watching everyone with his big blue eyes while Moose sat squished up beside him. CJ’s Vera Bradley diaper bag had been filled with diapers, wipes, clothes, bottles, toys and a blanket in case he needed them throughout the hectic day. Hearing someone near him, he looked up and mumbled a gurgle as a mover bent down to look at him. The old man removed his glove and wiggled his fingers. "Hi, little guy."

CJ furrowed his forehead and babbled to the unknown person. He recently learned to blow spit bubbles, and now it was his hobby.

Noticing he had grown quiet, Anima peeked over the box she was packing. "Did you make a new friend?" she asked, smiling when the baby turned his head towards her voice.

The mover chuckled at the five month old. "He's adorable," he commented, watching CJ drop his toy. That was another of CJ's new hobbies. He dropped things to watch the adults pick it up. "How old is he?"

"Five months. He's going to be six months in a few weeks," she stood and wiped her hands on her jeans. "How's the bedroom doing?"

"The bedroom is empty as of five minutes ago. We're taking a break since Mitch and Sandy are busy rearranging a few things in the truck."

"Now where is that wonderful and splendid little grandson of mine!" a voice boomed from outside.

"Prepare yourself, CJ. Papa Ruperre is coming," she warned, unstrapping and lifting him into her arms.

Her father walked over and the baby up and away, looking him over as he held him high up in the air. Anima’s parents were on a brief vacation and would be staying with Tom and Anima during the move. "My God, this is one handsome baby!" The tall man began to baby talk to the infant and laughed when he babbled back to her as he began walking away to have a conversation with the baby.

Tom returned from placing his books in the car and saw his father-in-law slipped by without saying hi. He didn't take it personally. You couldn’t take things personally with that man. "Hi, sir," he smiled. "Thank you for coming down and helping us."

“Oh don’t worry, Tommy,” Anima’s mother said as she walked in. “We’re here to help take some responsibility off your hands while you two get settled," she said as she turned her attention to her grandson and cooed to him softly. "Now let's go have some play time."

\---

"Badababa," CJ's loud babble bounced around the empty room that was to be his own.

While Tom and Ben went to get lunch for everyone--including the movers--Annie and her mother watched CJ explore his new surroundings while lying on his blanket. Scooting his arms under him and lifting up just a little, he attempted to try and get on his knees. It was something he had been doing for the past half hour, and both women were watching and waiting to see what he would do.

"So, how is my son-in-law taking fatherhood? He always sounds so happy and exhausted when we talk to you two on the phone."

"He's adapted to being a father very well, and he adores CJ. Sure, he grumbles and mutters in the middle of the night, but he always gets up when it's his turn. You should have seen his face when CJ said 'Dada' when he got back from filming. Doesn't matter if it was babble or not, his ego grew ten times its normal size." They both laughed, and she clapped her hands when CJ partially rolled onto his side.

"He really is a happy infant."

"He's always happy, but when he gets upset, he's hard to console. Ninety percent of the time he's smiling, laughing, giggling, or just babbling away. I have my suspicions he's going to be an early talker," holding her hands out, she waited until he scooted to her and lifted him up, kissing his pudgy cheek. "Who's my boy?" she asked happily.

The little Hiddleston squealed and held his hands to his face, smiling and drooling at the same time.

"How about after you two get settled, your father and I watch him for a few hours and give you and Tom some alone time."

Anima froze for a moment and turned her head slowly. "Did I just hear you're suggesting to take CJ off of our hands so we could 'get busy'?"

She nodded, her face brightening. "Yes I did. I'm a mother, and I know how much of a toll it takes."

Anima nodded and looked down at the baby in her arms, letting him mouth and gnaw on her fingers. "We'll figure something out."

CJ began to cry in hunger.

Her mother stood and motioned to the kitchen. "Want me to get you a bottle or are you going to nurse him?"

"I think I'll nurse him. He's been given the bottle quite a bit for the past few days.”

"I'll give you some space then."

\---

Anima repositioned the framed photo on CJ's bedroom wall and stepped back to see what effort had been done. After the first night in their new home, Anima planned to get the baby's room done within the first week. Happy with her handy work, she reached for the hammer and moved to another side of the room to hang up a handmade quilt her mom made for CJ. It was designed with animals playing dress up in a forest. She was keeping an eye on CJ in his playpen, mouthing a teether toy and leaning against a stuffed animal he was using to sit up. He was getting better sitting up on his own, but would lean back against his stuffed toy when he got tired.

"Are we having fun?" Anima cooed happily, getting his attention.

His babbles were muffled by the toy in his mouth. Anima reached her arm out and linked her arm with Tom's, resting her head against his shoulder. He was still trying to put his new, bigger crib together near the window. "Rolling over seems to be his challenge. Talking early seems to be in his genes though," Tom gave her a look and she smiled. "Once he starts talking, he won't stop."

Kissing CJ’s soft-haired head, Tom couldn't stop glowing. "He's a Hiddleston. It's what we do best!"


	14. Chapter 14

"Come on, CJ. You can do it, baby," Anima urged, lying on the living room floor. CJ had been working on crawling and rolling over for the past weeks every time he had been placed on the floor.

He was stuck on his side again while attempting to roll over. "Dadada!" he loudly said, tilting his head up to look at Anima, watching her clap.

"Just one more push, and you'll be on your back," she smiled, talking to him at eye level and showed him how to roll over by demonstrating herself.

Tom watched from the couch and held back his laughter as Anima rolled over from her stomach to her back.

"See! It's easy, CJ," she rolled back over to her stomach and earned a clap and laughter from the baby.

"I think he's telling you to do it again for his own humor," Tom remarked, watching his wife. "Looks like he's getting closer to rolling over though."

CJ chose then to squeal and, with a kick of his foot, rolled over onto his back. Praising and clapping their hands, Anima and Tom cheered him on for rolling over. The baby laughed and clapped his hands together, mimicking his parents. Tom got up and lifted up his son, hugging him close. Tom rocked him until he fell silent, yawning against Tom's chest. "Looks like it's nap time for baby," he noted at a whisper. "I'm going to put him down."

\---

A few days later, Tom was sitting with his mother-in-law as he hand fed some baby rice cereal to CJ. Anima was in her office on a Skype conference. "Mum, can I ask a question?"

She nodded.

"I know you told Annie you would watch CJ for a few hours while we have some alone time, but I was wondering if you and Mr. Ruperre could stay here with him for a few days."

She tilted her head slightly. "What are you thinking of?"

"I'm thinking of taking Annie to a Bed and Breakfast for a few days so we can have some personal time and not worry about having to rush it. I want her to slow down. She's been moving at a rapid pace since CJ was born, and it's wearing both of us out."

She laughed. "Oh, that's fine! I don't mind watching the baby for a few days while you two have fun at a Bed and Breakfast. At CJ's age, he's over the critical stage, and it will give us a chance to know each other better. My husband’s been dying to see how he does with a football.”

\---

Opening the bedroom door slowly and seeing Anima was asleep, Tom carefully walked in and sat on the bed. Lowering the comforter just enough to see her face, he gently touched her, and she began to stir. "Morning, darling. Have a good nap?" he asked with a small smile, seeing her eyes open a little. When she didn't move to sit up, he leaned down and kissed every inch of her face. "C'mon. I have a surprise for you."

"What?" she muttered, rolling over just enough for him to kiss her. "What surprise? What have you done?"

He lay down on her and rested his chin near her face so he could brush his lips against her skin and talk to her. "I made some reservations at a Bed and Breakfast for this weekend so you and I can have a few days alone. Your mum and dad are going to watch CJ for us. Imagine it: three days of us, a bottle of wine, some great food and lots of play time."

Anima grinned and giggled tiredly.

"You might as well get going with filling some bottles," he said. He avoided a swinging arm and laughed. "Hey, it's true!"

"I feel like a cow," she muttered, sitting up to grab for a pair of sweat pants.

“You’re a gorgeous milk cow,” Tom purred.

“No, Tom. Don’t give me that look. I need to get up.”

Walking into the kitchen, she picked up the clean breast pump and an empty bottle bag. She sat at the table and smiled at CJ, who reached a hand out and cooed happily. "Hi, baby. Did we enjoy some cereal?" he stuck out his tongue. "How much of his food did he eat?"

Tom glanced into the bowl. "I'd say around half a cup of rice cereal. He might want to be breast fed at this point. Want me to get you anything while you're nursing?"

Anima thought for a moment as she lifted her shirt and undid one side of her bra, exposing her left breast. "Maybe a cup of orange juice and my vitamins?" she looked down at CJ, his fists holding fistfuls of her shirt. "I'm wondering what to do when I get engorged over the weekend."

Tom raised his eyebrows and leaned close. "I can take care of that," he winked when she blushed and went back to paying attention to his breakfast.

Anima went back to paying attention to CJ and noticed he had fallen asleep while nursing. Slipping her fingers between his mouth and her skin, she unlatched them and cradled him on her shoulder. She used one hand to lower her clothes and her other to pat his back until she heard him burp. "Didn't expect him to fall asleep so fast. He’s usually pretty active at this time of the day.”

“You must have that affect.”

Anima kicked at him, making him snicker. “Act your age.”


	15. Chapter 15

"C'mon, Annie, he's going to be just fine with your parents," Tom coaxed with his hand on his bride’s shoulder. For the past half hour, Anima had been listing off various things her mother and father would need to do for CJ while they were away for three days of alone time. Nodding, she picked CJ up from his playpen and hugged him as tightly as his little body could take. "Going to be a good boy for Nono?"

The baby placed his hands on her face and babbled with a toothless smile on his face. "Bababa." He kicked his legs out and popped her in the stomach with his bare feet. "Dada."

"Dada's going with mummy," Tom smiled, allowing his son to grasp his finger with his tiny fist. "We'll be back in a few days, and we'll bring home a present."

CJ laughed and wiggled happily in his mother's arms. Noticing he was being lifted up by his grandmother, he watched them head out the door for an hour drive to a Bed and Breakfast for a weekend alone. Feeling her normal separation anxiety kicking in, Tom forced Anima to sit in the car and closed the door. "He'll be okay with your parents, Annie," Tom whispered after they hit the main roads. "CJ will be fine."

She sighed to herself and smiled. "I just...didn't want to leave him alone since we haven't left him before," her fingers played with her wedding ring. "I know we need this time alone and I know I'm going to enjoy it."

"Just take a few deep breaths and we'll be there in no time," he said, taking her hand and kissing it before using their hands to adjust his driving glasses.

A few hours later and after checking into the Bed and Breakfast, Tom unlocked the door and allowed Anima in first before locking the door again behind her. Mere seconds after he placed his bags down, he was grabbed from behind and roughly turned to face a rather lustful looking wife. "Now, Annie. We have three days to play-"

"Don't care," she cut him off. "At this point all I want is you and no clothes."

Tom hooked his thumb into the back of her jeans and knickers, tugging them down in one fell swoop and slipping his hand in to cup her bottom firmly. “Hmm, very naughty. What should we do about that?” he asked at her ear before nibbling the lobe. Then he took hold of her thighs and pulled her up around his hips. That new workout was paying off. Wrapping her legs around his waist, Anima moaned at the clothed bulge jutting at her core.

Anima took his jaw and pulled him into a fervent kiss, tracing her tongue along his top lip as he nipped at her bottom lip. Things turned passionate as he slipped his tongue into her mouth, swirling and dancing with her own hungrily. Tom pinned her against the wall, her hands pulling his t-shirt up over his head and tossing it to the floor. She ran her hands along his chest and down to his abs as she slipped inside his trousers and grabbed his hardening cock. He growled and sucked hard at her neck. His hands caressed her, grabbing here and there every once in a while eliciting moans.

“Please," she moaned into Tom's ear.

He grinned slyly. His hands traced up her thighs, and he slipped two fingers into her. “My my darling, you’re so wet already," he captured her lips again, kissing hungrily and started to slip his fingers in and out quickly and forcefully. She released quick pants and moans as he thrusted his fingers in and out; juices dripped over his fingers before he pulled out. Whimpering at the loss of his touch, her grip on his waist grew weak.

He thrust deep inside then, making her wail out in pleasure.

“Fuck,” Tom growled and bit down hard onto her neck. Her back slid against the wall with every thrust.

“Fuck, Tom!” Anima screamed.

Tom groaned and bit down on her shoulder as his orgasm shattered him. "Annie...that was fantastic."

"You did all the work, silly."

"I know. I am amazing," he gloated and earned a soft slap to the shoulder. "Hey now. Keep that up and you won't get what I have in store for later." He lowered her and helped her to the bed. "I love you," he whispered, lightly kissing her shoulder.

She pressed her face into his neck and breathed in his scent mixed with sweat. "I love you, too." She lifted her head and they kissed passionately, feeling fueled from just feeling each other's flesh under their hands. "How about we move this to the floor?"

Slowly grinning and eying the beautifully woven rug by their feet, he asked, "Top or bottom?"

\---

Collapsing after reaching another climax, Anima gripped what carpet she could under her fingers as Tom thrust once more from behind. With her back against his stomach, she could only muster a few inaudible words when Tom finally collapsed against her. "Say...that again?" he asked between pants.

"You, my dear, are going to make it hard for me to walk," she muttered, making a mental note to take pain killers. "I swear I don't think I can do anymore this evening," she said as she attempted to untangle herself from his arms and legs, but it wasn't possible. One round on the table and two rounds on the floor had worn them out. "I don't think I can move."

Tom chuckled and pulled her hair away from her sweaty face to kiss her cheek. "Going to stay awake long enough for me to grab some dinner for us?"

"I swear that's all you think about: sex and food," she laughed and made another attempt to sit up, untangling a leg from between his.

Tom nodded and got to his feet, holding his hand out for her. "Want to get cleaned up, and I'll get some food?" he asked and she nodded slowly, sitting down on the bed. Tom padded off to the bathroom and got cleaned up, pulled on some clothes and kissed her softly. "I'll be right back."

"Just stay out of trouble," she requested, smiling when he waved. Three minutes later, Anima could feel her body starting to relax and took a chance to head to the bathroom for a quick shower. Once dried off, she noticed Tom had returned with the wonderful smell of hot food. "What did you get?"

"I got some food from the local pasta store, a bottle chardonnay and something sweet for desert," he said, popping the cork off of the bottle with ease and pouring some into two flute glasses they brought. "I brought enough pasta with meat sauce to probably feed you, me, CJ and your mum for a week."

"This looks really good."

"I hope so. This wasn't the cheapest meal, you know," he smirked, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close. Without a word, he rested his chin on her shoulder and their cheeks touched. He closed his eyes at the contact and sighed. "I love you and I can't imagine my life going on without you or CJ."

"I know," She closed her eyes and placed her hands over his. "I do have one question."

"Hm?"

"Did you wash off this table before placing the food on here?"

The silence behind her told her other-wise, but he soon answered her silently. "Since the food isn't technically touching the table, I can give it a good scrub down now."

Anima smirked and patted his face lovingly. "I trained you well."

\---

Lisa awoke to the sound of CJ screaming as thunder rolled overhead. The infant still wasn't comfortable with storms and it was something Tom warned her about before they left. Walking out of the guest room and opening the door to the baby's room, she attempted to flip on the lights, but the power was out. "Well shit," she muttered and wrapped her robe tighter around her.

CJ was sitting up in the crib with his hands on the bars, big tears rolling down his cheeks as if the world was falling around him. He raised his arms as she lifted him up and held him tightly as he pressed his face against her chest, screaming out as another thunder roared out. He balled up his fists and held them close to his face, as if he wanted to disappear. Rocking him and gently bouncing him in her arms as she headed down to the living room, Lisa had a lot of patience and time to calm the child down.

She picked up his pacifier and popped it in.

He promptly spat it out between crying hiccups and she sighed. "I guess not, huh?" she asked gently, patting his back and rocking.

Placing him in his playpen for a few minutes, she lit a candle and searched for the flashlight in one of the kitchen drawers. Hopes of warming a bottle of milk for the baby were down to zero, but she had other tricks up her sleeve. Placing the candle on the couch side table, she reached into the playpen and opened her robe to cuddle him against her. It was something she had done when her daughter was upset. Wrapping the warm fabric around him and snuggling him close, she reached for the pacifier again and popped it in when he turned his head towards her chest. "Now now. I'm not your mother. Those quit working a long time ago," she said with a smile, brushing his dark hair gently.

Twenty minutes into his calming session, a loud boom shook over the house and he jumped in her arms. For a moment, Lisa thought he wasn't going to cry, but the tears welling up in his eyes told her otherwise. The pacifier dropped out of his mouth as he cried out loudly in her arms. She reached for her cellphone and scanned through the numbers for Anima’s cell. She wouldn't have been doing this if it wasn't important, but CJ being calm was important.

\---

Pulling the comforter out from over his head and untangling his arms, Tom reached for Anima's ringing cellphone on the bedside dresser.

"Who's that?" he heard from in front of him, under the covers.

"It's your mother," he replied and answered the call. "Hey, what's the matter? Okay, here's Anima. She knows what to do," he lifted the comforter and handed the phone to Anima, who was tangled around him. Their last sexual adventure left them beyond exhausted. "CJ's crying over a thunderstorm and she needs some help."

She took the phone from him and held it close. "Hey, is he upset over the storm?"

"Yeah. I tried a few things, but he's not taking it and since the power is out," she left it hanging in the air for a moment. "Well, you get the picture then."

Anima closed her eyes for a moment and breathed out a sigh once she heard CJ crying in the background. "Take him to bed and hide under the blankets. Sing him some songs and cuddle. It's worked in the past, so it's worth a shot. If it doesn't work, you have a long night ahead of you."

"We'll try that, and I'll let you know if it works."

With a click, the call ended and Anima exhaled a long breath. "She's got a fight on her hands now."

"What has she tried?"

"She's tried everything almost. CJ's not taking it, but I told her to try what we did a while back when that other storm rolled in. Remember?"

Tom nodded.

She draped her arm over his side and nuzzled close. "It's certainly hard not having CJ around, but good to know he's with my mom."

He rested his chin on her forehead and held her tightly. "He'll be perfectly safe."


	16. Chapter 16

Anima gleefully swept CJ into her arms the second they walked through the door. The baby squealed happily and babbled with a grin, his hands on his mother's face. "How's my baby boy?" she cooed, ignoring the slight cringing from Tom.

There were days he couldn't stand the cooing, but Anima certainly caught him cooing and baby chattering with CJ when he didn't think she was listening. CJ giggled and talked in his own way, and she nodded with each 'word'. "Well, sounds like you've had a busy weekend."

Her mom smiled and placed her hand on her shoulder, grabbing her attention. "How was your weekend?"

"It was good. We had dinner last night at Franco's and enjoyed a rather expensive dinner," she glanced over at him and they smiled at each other before glancing down at CJ, who was checking out the V-neck opening of her shirt. He was turning into his father. "It's good to be home. We've missed our boy for sure."

Anima’s father helped Tom with their bags. "Good to have you home. Course, this means we need to head home as well."

"When are you going home? We can give you ride to the airport since it's the least we can do with everything you've done. I know you won't take money-"

He cut Anima off with a wave of her hand. "Seeing CJ is all I need. We’re hoping to go home tomorrow and let you start on having a life together without us in the way."

"Tell me what time and I'll give you a ride to the station,” Tom yelled from the kitchen as he sorted through mail and bills.

Her mother nodded and motioned to the kitchen. "I just finished making lunch, if you two want to join. I think I'm almost out of bottles for CJ, but I think he wants the real thing now."

Anima nodded as CJ shoved his hand in her shirt. "I can eat and nurse at the same time." Walking into the kitchen and sitting down at the dining table, she lifted her shirt and bra while keeping a blanket over her, allowing him to latch on. She smiled and patted his bottom. "Guess you missed me, huh?"

"Did you decide about getting a hysterectomy?"

"Hysterectomy?" Tom asked, quite startled.

"I’ve been considering it,” Anima mentioned. “I think it’s a good idea. I'm getting up in age, and if I get pregnant again, the baby not might be as healthy as CJ. We got lucky."

Tom nodded. “We can talk about it later.”

\---

Later that night, Anima and Tom sat on their bed with CJ laying on his stomach and looking around by their legs. His exploring eyes looked around and scanned a room that wasn't his. His head turned when he heard someone shaking his favorite toy keys and attempted to get up on his knees to get them. He made an effort and said, "Gah!" as his fingers missed his toy. He moved forward and tried again, scrunching up his face in determination.

Tom was using the toy to distract CJ from paying attention to his parents. "You know, I'm not sure about this surgery. What if it does more damage?"

"Tom, do you want to risk my health or another baby's? It would be unfair."

Tom sighed. "I-I just-"

Anima kissed him. "Adoption is always a much safer option."

Tom huffed and picked CJ up. "Give me time. I'll get used to the idea." Anima watched him leave and reached over to turn on the baby monitor, ready to hear everything going on in the baby's room. Within a few minutes, she heard him humming softly to their son and smiled. She knew what he was doing; he was changing the baby into his pajamas and keeping him calm by humming. It wasn't long until she heard the crib mobile being turned on and CJ whimpering as he tried to fight off sleep. For the next few moments, she could only hear the sound of CJ drifting off, the mobile playing a lullaby very familiar to her and Tom gently and quietly talking.

It wasn't long until he returned and closed the door. "He's asleep?"

"Like a baby," he smiled, crawling back onto the bed to lay beside her. Anima felt him pressing hard against her. "Tom. My dear, sweet and handsome Tom," she placed her hands on his neck and gave him a small smile. "I have nothing except exhaustion and really sore legs and hips right now. I have no idea how you are capable of constantly seeking release day after day."

"It's just how I work. You should know that by now." Tom sighed, resting his chin on her chest.

\--

It had been a week since Anima’s parents left for America, and life was starting to slow down as Anima and Tom began to settle in with their son at their side. He sailed through his check up at the pediatrician's office like a trooper and took on the two shots they were giving him well until he was pricked with the second needle, causing him to cry out and reach for whoever he could see. He was also attempting to sit up on his own without assistance and had mastered it one evening. Tom was sitting behind him while Anima sat in from of him and they were gradually trying to teach him how to crawl until he rolled over and sat up on his own, clapping once the second he was steady on his behind. His parents were shocked for a moment and stared at each other, as if they didn't believe what they just saw. "Well, that's the opposite we wanted him to do," she had acknowledged, staring down at the grinning and drooling five month old.

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting that. What was that about, sport? This is sitting up, not crawling. Next thing we'll know, he's going to shove his feet into his mouth and get up and walk, skipping crawling all together."

"If he starts that up, I'm going to Alaska and ice fishing for the rest of my life. Anyway, I set up an appointment with my doctor to get a check up and make sure I'm healthy enough to get a hysterectomy."

Tom tickled CJ, making their son laugh. "When?"

"Next week. If all goes well and I'm in tip-top shape, we'll set up an appointment for the surgery. I want it placed during a time when CJ's not fully dependent on me for his care and you can take care of him ninety percent of the time."


	17. Chapter 17

Anima inhaled a slow breath as she sat outside. It was a week before her surgery and life was getting back to normal. CJ was continuing to drool as his body began to get ready for teething and it left her wondering if he was going to teeth during her recovery. For now, she knew she shouldn't worry about that. Tom pushed her out of the house to get some air and quiet time while the baby napped. The cool breeze felt welcoming as Anima closed her eyes and attempted to calm herself. Tom was sitting on the other side of their porch swing with his phone. "Annie?"

She turned her head to his voice, opening her eyes. "Yes?"

He glanced up and nudged her foot with his. "You don't have to worry. The surgery's going to go well, and you're going to recover fast." His lips pulled back in a small smile. "You shouldn't worry so much."

Moose was obviously too good for them so, with an old-man grunt, he jumped off of the swing and ran after a rabbit out on the back lawn.

"I-" She was cut off from the sound of the baby waking up from the speaker monitor. "Looks like he's up."

Standing up, Anima headed into the house and smiled at CJ, who was attempting to stand up in the playpen. "Hey! How's my little guy doing?" she scooped him up and tickled his belly, watching him squirm and laugh at her. "I see we're skipping over crawling and heading straight into walking, yes?"

CJ squealed and looked around when he heard Tom coming in, giving him a toothless grin. Tom clapped and smiled at the boy. "Looks like it's time for outside play time." He announced.

\---

"Anima Hiddleston?" A nurse stood outside of the waiting room with a clipboard in her hand.

Inhaling a slow breath and standing, Anima felt a hand on her arm. Tom gave her a small smile and pulled her into a hug. "Everything's going to be okay. I'll be right here the whole time." He explained, kissing her gently. "I'll even come up to see you for a few minutes afterward if you want."

"I'd like that, even if I won't be able to remember it," she replied with a smile. CJ was home with Elsa watching him. "I'm not sure how long this is going to take, so don't stay in here the whole time, understand?"

"I know," he smiled at her and motioned for her to get going. "Go on before they move to the next customer or drag you out." With a gentle shove of his hand, he watched her head towards the nurse almost reluctantly as if she didn't want to for fear something was going to happen.

He slowly sank down into the chair and sighed.

Tom knew it was going to be a while since the surgeons were going to be removing everything reproductive except the important stuff like her pleasurable bits from her body and getting her settled in recovery was going to take some time as well, but he promised he wasn't going to leave and didn't regret it. Tom slowly leaned back in the chair and folded his fingers loosely on his lap, watching the BBC channel on the almost silent television.

"Mr. Hiddleston?" The surgeon appeared at the door with a clipboard, calmly breaking Tom from his daze. Had it been so late? How had he lost track of so much time?

Tom's face lightened. "Is she ready?"

He nodded.

"How did she do?"

"Very well; the surgery went smoothly and she was a trooper. She's still sedated but is slipping in and out of consciousness. Looks like she's trying to fight the anesthesia."

Tom chuckled. "She does that."

"I can only give you a few minutes with her."

"Understandable. Thank you." He quietly walked into the recovery room and sat down gently. "Anima?" He called her name softly, leaning forward to use his other hand to touch her face. A warm smile broke through his face when she shifted and turned her head in the direction of his hand. "Hi, there."

Her eyes slowly opened and glanced at his blurry shadow before closing again. "Tom? I-Is that you? Oh, yay, we can have tea with the munchkin.”

"Yeah, it's me."

Inhaling a few breaths and grasping his hand, she muttered something incoherent. Tom leaned forward some more and asked her softly what she had said. "Remember...to pick up...the popcorn," she muttered as she drifted back into a deep sleep, her hand going loose in his.

Tom gave her a small smile and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "I won't forget, sweetie. I'll be back tomorrow."


	18. Chapter 18

The next afternoon, and after finding someone to watch CJ, Tom headed to the hospital and up to the surgical recovery floor. Along the way, he bumped into her surgeon. "Hi, how's Anima doing?"

Dr. Ghroast smiled and motioned for Tom to follow him to her room. "She's doing very well this morning. She ate breakfast, went back to sleep for a few hours and has attempted to get out of bed twice already."

Tom chuckled and shook his head. "That's normal. When she wants to get home as soon as possible, she will do anything to get out and back into her own space. Granted, she probably wants to go home and see our son, but if she keeps this up, I won't allow her out of bed for a few days once she's home. I just hope she'll relax once she sees me."

"Let's hope," the surgeon agreed and opened the door for him.

Tom hadn't expected much except seeing her sitting up with a tired expression and staring at the door with a determined gleam in her eyes. That's exactly what she was doing. "I want out."

"No 'hello, dear' or 'nice to see you this wonderful morning'?" Tom smirked as he sat on the end of her bed.

Anima only huffed softly and turned her head the other direction, staring at her lunch tray.

"Did you eat lunch?"

She turned her head to look at him and shook her head. She did look exhausted and sore.

"You need to eat lunch to get your strength back so you can come home."

Anima leaned back and closed her eyes. "I'm too tired. I just want to be home." Hearing him getting up, she cracked her eyes open for a minute to see him moving her food tray closer. "What are you doing?"

"Getting you to eat something," he said as he lifted the lid and saw chicken with mashed potatoes and corn. A plastic water mug filled with ice and water with a bendy straw was already resting beside her on the bed. He made a mental note to check and see how much water she had been drinking. "I'm surprised you haven't even touched your potatoes yet. You love mashed potatoes."

Annie shrugged and reached her IV hand out to take a fork. "I haven't felt like it,” she cracked a smile. "You're probably thinking I didn't want to eat until you got here, right?"

"I know you're homesick and everything, but you have to keep up your strength so they can send you home. When will you be able to come home?"

"By tomorrow, I hope. I have been behaving, I swear," she added the second when he glanced at her. "I only attempted to get up twice and that was when I wasn't feeling exhausted. They told me I can go back to my regular activities in three weeks."

Tom sighed again and sat heavily on the bed. It wasn't the thought of doing most of the work with CJ, but it was the idea of not having action that bugged him.

\---

Elsa looked up from her book when she heard the key in the door lock. "How's the wife doing?" she asked once Tom walked in and closed the door.

"She's doing better. Got her to eat lunch and stayed with her a little longer after she went to sleep." He peered into the playpen where CJ was sleeping next to Sasha and Tristan, his pacifier moving as he dreamed. "If she behaves for the rest of the day, she'll be home tomorrow."

"That's wonderful. CJ was good today, but I think he's starting to teeth."

"Oh?" he asked warily. Just his bloody luck.

Elsa tapped her chin. "He's been producing lots of extra saliva and it's starting to irritate the skin of his chin. I've been wiping it clean every time he drools, and he's been coughing more because of it."

"Great," he paused. "Are you sure it isn't a cold?"

She shook her head with a smile. "Nope. I took his temperature and it's normal. He's sleeping for now, but he might wake up suddenly from the pain. If you need help while Anima's recovering, I'm just a phone call away, got it?"

"I got it and thank you so much,” he showed her the door and said goodbye to her and the twins before turning to the slightly stirring infant. "Hey, little guy. Let's try to stay asleep for a little while longer, okay?" he whispered, his fingers gently stroking CJ's dark hair until he calmed down. "Mommy will be home soon."

Once he was certain CJ was back to sleep, Tom went ahead and turned on his computer. An hour into his work, Tom was jolted from deep concentration when CJ began crying from his playpen. He instantly got up and walked in to lift the emotional infant up. "What's the matter, bub?" he lifted his bib and wiped the small chin as he began to drool in-between gasping for breath and crying.

CJ pressed his face into Tom's neck as he cried, pressing his hands against his tear-stained face and curling in on himself. Gently shushing and rocking him, Tom closed his eyes and waited patiently for him to calm down. His gut told him it was his teething that woke him, but he was limited with what he had to soothe him. Like a light bulb turning on, he remembered Anima put some bottles in the freezer to be used later on, in case of an emergency or if something happened that needed CJ's mouth to be numbed—like teething. Walking into the kitchen and opening the freezer door, he reached in for a bottle, grabbed CJ's spoon and sat at the table, with his son on his lap. "Okay, CJ. Let's try this."

He scrapped some frozen breast milk from inside the bottle and gently prodded the baby's mouth until he finally opened it. Instead of emptying the spoon in his mouth, Tom kept it on his front gums and allowed him to suck on the ice. Tom grinned when CJ sat back a little and looked at the spoon. He frowned and leaned forward again, wrapping his mouth around the spoon, clumsily sucking on it. It took him five minutes to fully understand what was going on and, much to Tom's surprise, CJ looked up at him and grinned happily, giving Tom the view of a small lump of a tooth coming in. "Well, look at that. Guess you are teething."

\---

Keeping his arm around Annie's waist, Tom helped her slowly into the house from the car. By order of her surgeon, he was to keep her in bed with painkillers to allow her to heal. Knowing Anima, it was going to be a blast to keep her in bed. The second Tom opened the door and got her through the door, both were greeted by a happily squeal of excitement as CJ attempted to crawl towards his parents. Elsa swooped him up before he flopped forward and popped his nose.

"Hey, CJ," Anima tiredly reached a hand out and took a hold of his outstretched hand. She couldn't even hold him until her two week healing process was done. "Looks like you've noticed I haven't been around, huh?"

The baby reached his other hand out, wanting to be held, but she gave him a sad smile and shook her head. "I can't hold you yet, sweetie."

"How about we get you settled in bed and you can hold him then?" Elsa suggested, sensing CJ was starting to get upset from not receiving the much wanted attention from his mother. Holding CJ against her hip and using her other to help Tom get Anima up the stairs, they went as slow as she wanted them to go, biting the inside of her bottom lip with each painful moment. Once they got her into the room, Elsa placed CJ on the floor to play with his favorite bird rattle while she helped Anima into something more comfortable to sleep in. She could sense Anima wasn't too keen on the idea. "It's all right, Anima. It's not like I haven't seen another woman naked, you know."

Anima placed her hands on Tom's shoulders for support as Elsa helped her into a pair of loose sleep shorts. "The only person I allow to see me naked is Tom," she grimaced when she lifted her leg to step into the shorts and gripped Tom's shoulders. "Hurts."

Tom gently placed his hand on the back of her neck. "Easy now. Just take some deep, slow breaths and you’ll be lying down before you know it."

"I hope so," she whispered in pain, opening her eyes slightly to look at his face.

"There we go!" Elsa stood and tossed the pants into the hamper. "Granted you're not going to be completely naked in front of me, so no worries." She stepped aside and allowed Tom to lift her shirt up and reached for a sleep shirt before sitting her down carefully on the bed.

Once he undid and removed her bra, he slipped her shirt on and helped her lay down on the bed, tucking the comforter around her. CJ's happy gurgling let them know Elsa picked him up from the floor, handing him to his father. "Someone wants to see you, Annie," he happily announced, placing CJ next to her. The baby grinned and placed his hand on her chest, babbling to her. Anima wrapped her arm around him and gave him a hug. "Did he have his nap today?"

Elsa shook her head. "Not yet. I was going to lay him down just when I heard your car coming up. I figured he would have been pleased to see you, and then you would do it once he calmed down."

"'Kay. It looks like he's going to be napping with Annie anyway, so we should leave and let him settle down before I give her the meds,” he motioned for them to leave the room, allowing her and CJ to get the interaction they wanted.

Anima grinned and chuckled when CJ rolled onto his back and shook his rattle in the air, high above his head. "What do you have there? Is that your rattle?"

He stuck his tongue out and giggled, shaking it harder before sticking it into his mouth.

"Daddy told me you're teething. Is that true?"

"Dada!" he said, removing the rattle from his mouth and glancing up at his mother.

She softly laughed and stroked his dark curls. "Yes, that's right. His name is 'Dada'," she reached a hand down and carefully moved to lay down next to him, noticing he was starting to drift off for his afternoon nap. He shook his rattle a few more times as he closed his eyes before his hand to drop down at his side. "Sleep tight, little guy," she said as she continued to stroke his hair until Tom poked his head in, holding a glass of water and her pain killers. "Hi, sexy."

He walked over and sat down quietly, making sure to not wake the baby. "Looks like you put him to sleep."

"Yeah. He rolled on his back and he was out," she smiled up at him and closed her eyes when he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "At least he can distinguish daddy is you and no one else. Did Kathy leave?"

Nodding his head, Tom opened her bottle and poured out two pills. "Yes. She has to get the boys to day care before she goes to a modeling job. Mind if I join you two here? I'll be reading though, in case CJ wakes up while you're still sleeping."

She kissed him softly and smiled. "I don't mind taking another bunk buddy for the day,” she settled more comfortably in the bed and gave Tom a small smile as he lay down next to her with CJ between them. Feeling her exhaustion beginning to take over, she concentrated on Tom's fingers as he gently touched her face to help ease her to getting some rest.


	19. Chapter 19

Anima rolled over in her sleep and groaned, not remembering she had several incisions that were healing on her lower abdomen. Not only that, but CJ was crying downstairs. She rolled back onto her back and grunted in pain. "Tom!"

The crying grew louder as Tom came upstairs and stood in the doorway. CJ was pressing his face against his father's shoulder and his body shook with each gasping breath he took before crying out. "What's the matter, darling?" he asked over the baby's crying.

"Not really about me, but wanting to make sure you're okay. How long has he been like this?"

He patted the young Hiddleston's back and groaned heavily. "A few hours at most. I tried using frozen breast milk to numb his gums, baby Tylenol, and having him gnaw on a frozen peach slice. Nothing has worked."

Anima sat back and exhaled. CJ looked miserable, cranky and his face was wet and irritated from his tears and extra saliva. Tom looked tired and exasperated to boot. "Have you tried just feeding him bottled milk or some puree veggies?"

"What makes you think that's going to work?"

"It's worth a shot," she held her hands out for him to place CJ in. "Just get some of the frozen baby food from the freezer, thaw it for a few seconds in the micro and bring it up here. Bring up a bottle from the fridge, just in case."

Tom placed the towel he had been using to wipe the baby's face on Anima's chest and headed downstairs. He was back in just a few minutes. "Alright...here we go," he said, sitting down and rubbing CJ's back.

"He'll calm down and then start back up again. I can't hold him, but I can feed him," she said as Tom handed her the items. Spooning up a small amount of the baby food, she made sure the bottom of the spoon was cold enough to help numb her baby's gums and popped it in. The baby froze and sniffled as he registered what was happening. "There we go."

"What's his face doing?"

Anima smiled and shrugged. "Once he's comfortable enough, we'll give him the bottle and lull him to sleep,” she said as she spooned up a little more and fed him when he opened his mouth willingly. "At the rate we're going, it'll be easy."

"I hope so."

It wasn't long until the baby turned his head away from the spoon and reached a hand out for the bottle.

"Well, how about that," Tom chortled.

CJ reached for the bottle and latched on, laying in the crook of Anima's arm and held the bottle up with his chubby hands.

"How are you feeling?" Tom asked.

Anima shrugged tiredly. "Still tired, but I want to make sure CJ's okay. I did roll over, but that wasn't the smartest idea. Mind getting me the heating pad?"

Tom nodded and left, returning a few minutes later. He lowered the comforter and sheet and gently positioned the pad on top of her sleep shirt.

"Thanks, sweetie."

"Of course. Anything to keep you comfortable and help you heal."

Trying hard to stay awake, Anima felt herself starting to drift and shook her head to stay awake. Feeling the baby move against her, she turned her head and saw he had pulled away from the bottle and rolled onto his stomach. "What ya doin'?" she asked with a smile, watching him move onto his hands and knees. "Are you going to crawl for mommy?"

CJ cooed and flopped onto his stomach, giving a small burp along the way. He grinned happily and gave her a full view of the very tip of his white front tooth coming in, making her grin.

"Look at those little teeth! I didn't see that earlier. Hey, Tom."

"What?”

"Look at his top jaw and tell me what you see."

Tom held him up, peering into his mouth when the baby began babbling, giving him a good view.

"Damn! Nursing him is going to be bitch now."

Anima smirked. "Mind joining me while I get some sleep?"

Smiling, Tom stood and held the baby against his hip. "Let me put him down for a nap and I'll be right back."

She nodded as he walked in the direction of CJ's room. She turned on the baby monitor and listened in. She could hear him changing CJ into his pajamas and walking around to ease him to sleep. "See out there?" Tom whispered gently. "That's a hummingbird. You used to be that small. Bloody long time ago.”

She heard him close the door with a soft "click” shortly after. He walked back into the bedroom and shucked everything but his boxers. Watching her face carefully for any signs of pain, he moved into the bed next to her and rested his arm across her chest, resting his head next to hers. Crooking her finger and beckoning him to move in closer, Anima pulled him in for a much needed kiss. Tom took that chance to slowly and gently run his fingers under her sleep shirt to touch her warm flesh, avoiding her small sutures. When they broke the kiss for a moment to catch a breath, Anima placed her hand on top of his and smiled.

"I know you're resisting kissing my stomach, but you can, if you want."

Glancing down where their hands were, his eyes glanced back up into hers "Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't as long as you're careful."

Tom smiled and lowered his head to kiss her on the lips a few more times before slowly moving down until his lips made contact with her stomach. The feel of her fingers weaving through his hair made him hum in his throat. He couldn’t wait until she was ready for more…intimate things.


	20. Chapter 20

Anima sat up in bed after enjoying a small lunch with Tom and their bundle of teething baby fat. Since she was being her stubborn self, Tom threatened to confine her to her bed if she didn't sit still and relax while he took care of the baby, but she wanted desperately to be involved. She sighed heavily and reached for a book she was reading for the second time since last week. It was something to distract her from impending boredom.

Carefully turning a page and loosing herself in a chapter, she barely noticed when Tom peered in with a towel-clad CJ in his arms. He too wore only a towel around his hips. "Annie? I have something to show you."

"Oh?"

He walked into the room with the cooing baby. "CJ has something to show you," he said as he placed him on his stomach on the bed. "Now, just watch," he said as he moved closer to her and called CJ's name.

The baby grinned and hoisted himself up onto his hands and knees. Using his mother's legs as a sturdy support, he steadied himself before taking a few wobbly moves towards Tom's arms. Anima's hands covered her mouth in sheer joy as CJ crawled towards them and straight to Tom.

"Oh, my baby. When did he start doing that?" she asked happily, her eyes glazing over with tears.

Tom offered her the baby to hold. "I was busy getting him a change of clothes when he hoisted himself up and started taking off naked as the day he was born. I had to grab a leg to stop him from heading toward the door," he patted down some dark curls that were sticking up on CJ's head.

"Just be sure to catch it on video camera so we can show it to our mothers. They'll burst at the seam seeing him crawling and teething all at once," she said as she cradled CJ close and gently patted his bare backside as he gripped her shirt. "Can you say Mumma?"

Instead of giving what his mother wanted, he flashed a big grin and showed off his barely visible front tooth coming in. "Look at that pearly white beauty."

Glad to see Anima smiling for the first time in a week, Tom sat and pressed his lips to her forehead. When he lingered, Anima brushed her elbow against his bulging erection. Anima winked, earning her a blush from Tom.

"I-I should finish getting him dressed and get him ready for a nap."

"Don't take too long, Tom. You know how impatient I can be,” she winked.

Easily and quickly as he could, Tom dressed and laid CJ down for his afternoon nap. Once the mobile was playing, the baby started nodding off, and Tom rushed to the bedroom and slipped into the bed with Anima. He watched her hand graze down his chest to his towel. Tom reached a hand down to weave his fingers through her hair as she eased her mouth onto him. Without hesitation, she attacked. She shifted down until she was face-to-head with his cock and with one swoop took him into her mouth.

A whimpering moan escaped him. It was all she needed to hear. She pulled him in using only the suction from her mouth, and slid him deeper into her throat until his pubic hair tickled her lips.

“Christ, woman,” Tom shuddered with a small voice. “You know I love it when you do that.”

Anima looked up at him and slid him out of her mouth, letting her tongue drag along the underside of his shaft. She gripped the bottom of it and worked her hand as she started sucking on his head, enveloping her lips around his tip, running her tongue along the inside of his foreskin.

“Woman, you’re going to suck it off!” his voice trembled.

Anima was beginning to notice how much Tom struggled with control. She stuck her probing tongue out and drew his throbbing head into her mouth then gently sucked at it before completely sucking him down. She quickened her pace, deep throating him fast and without care for the sloppy, slurping noises that followed. Tom’s chest was heaving like mad. She suckled him slowly, just long enough for his eyelids to flutter.

“I love your mouth, darling,” he panted. “So wet and warm. You know I can’t control myself around you.”

Tom’s body jerked, unable to keep up with the race between his desire and his release. He was losing fast. She looked up at him, his reddening skin so beautiful to her. His head fell back, his throat and lips moist with sweat and saliva, his magnificent neck exposed.

“Darling,” he whispers. “I’m-”

Anima could feel him pulsating in her throat just before he came. She swallowed down his cum and sucked the rest out for him. His breath stuttered from the sensitivity, and he shook his head.

“Come here, you,” he smiles softly as he brings your lips up for one more kiss. “You must be the most wonderful woman on this earth. I’m certain of it. I can’t wait for the next week to pass.”

“You said it. Now, naptime.”


	21. Chapter 21

"Oh no you don't," Tom muttered as he grabbed for the back of CJ's shirt before the baby could take off towards the kitchen to follow Anima. Carrying the squealing seven month old under his arm, Tom placed him in the living room and reached for the baby gate. Locking the gate into place, he watched CJ grasp the hard plastic and push as if he were expecting it to break. He was a little Samson in the making. "Sorry, bud. I'll be back."

Anima laughed. "He's just too smart for us, Tom."

Moose was soon at the gate with CJ, pushing and barking at the smell of food cooking. Usually, Moose was allowed into the kitchen to eat anything Anima dropped while cooking, but since CJ was getting better at crawling, Tom and Anima had to invest in baby gates.

It was the middle of her last week of taking things slow and was working back into her normal routine. She could walk around, but she couldn't bend or lift much, including her son. Usually, she had Tom pick him up and deposit him in her lap. It was irritating, but in the end, it would be well worth it. They were content with just having CJ as their biological son. They could still adopt.

"Kinda feels like he's a mini Loki from those movies,” Anima said giggling.

Shaking his head with a smile, Tom rinsed a washcloth and went back to cleaning the high chair. "Might as well be. He's wicked smart for his own good."

Anima started cooking macaroni casserole for her and Tom with a small turkey for lunch and dinner. "He'll be walking soon."

"I know," he sighed softly, drying off the tray of CJ's high chair with a hand towel. He placed it on the counter and began wiping down the seat.

Hearing a clank and a small giggle, they both turned to see that CJ and Moose succeeded in knocking over the baby gate and were working his way over to Anima's legs. Gripping her leg with both hands, he hoisted himself up and stood, wobbling as he tried to balance. With help from Tom, she pulled him onto her lap at the table and picked up a slice of orange for him to gnaw on. His two top teeth were finally in, and his bottom teeth were on the way.

Feeling a smile tug at his lips, Tom snapped the tray back into place and put it in the corner. He took a quick glance at the calendar and smirked. "Hey, Annie?"

"Yes?"

"You do know what's coming up at the end of the week, right?" he wriggled his eyebrows as his smirk grew.

Anima giggled.

"I knew you'd know."

Anima wrapped her arms around CJ as he continued to suck on the orange and smiled at Tom. "Well, if everything's alright for this weekend, we can have some fun," she reached for CJ's pacifier, popping it into his mouth. "I'm thinking we need to celebrate him finally learning to crawl. What do you think?"

Taking a seat in front of her, Tom watched the baby shake his car keys roughly. "How about giving him his favorite foods and a present or two? Some new toys? He does need a new door jumper since he's worn his other one out."

"Sounds good. We can get a few learning toys and activity stations."

Tom nodded and pulled out his phone, making a list. "I can make dinner for us. Whip up his favorite foods and then show him his new stuff? He's been doing well learning to take a fork and spoon. Want to get him a new spoon and fork set that's easier for him to grasp?"

"That’ll work," Anima leaned over to look at what he was typing, and both froze when they heard her stomach grumble. Tom stifled a laugh by covering it with a weak cough. "Ha ha. Very funny. Going to take something for that cough?" she sassed. When her stomach grumbled again, they both knew it was time for lunch.

"Is the food done?"

"It should be close," Anima said, readjusting her hold on CJ as he settled against her, resting his head against her chest. "Looks like he's starting to drift off. Have you been keeping him up later than usual?"

Tom shook his head as he checked the food before sitting down again. "I've been sticking to his schedule like clockwork. He is using more energy now that he's crawling. Does he have a fever?"

"Not that I can feel."

Anima lightly patted his back has he shifted closer to her and fell asleep. For the next few minutes, they watched CJ sleep as they waited for the food to cook thoroughly. Even as he slept, the baby always looked like he was still running on leftover energy; the pacifier moved as he dreamed. A socked covered foot twitched every now and then, and his facial muscles spazzed.

When the food was done, Tom opted to feed Anima instead of her struggling to feed herself with one hand. "How about this," Tom started as he forked up a forkful of food. "We can celebrate CJ's accomplishment, and later you and I can indulge in our favorite exercise routine. I can't wait," he whispered against her ear, offering her a fork full of food. "Think we can lie down together and cuddle?"

"Of course we can," she smiled and patted CJ's back gently when he shifted against her. "With fabric between us or not?"

He grinned. "Do I really have to answer that?"

Anima giggled and watched Tom finish his own lunch quickly. Tom took CJ and put him down for his nap while Anima put the dishes in the dishwasher and the leftovers in the fridge. Then she headed into the living room to try and straighten up CJ's play area. Once he was down for his nap and the monitor was turned on, Tom helped Anima undress, and they crawled under the covers into each other's arms. Tom wrapped one arm around her and lowered the covers enough to glance down at her healed incisions. "They're looking good," he said, running his fingers over them. Feeling his fingers outlining her neck and collarbone, she closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder. She placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart thumping under her palm.


	22. Chapter 22

Happily squirming in his high chair, eighteen-month old CJ waited patiently for Anima to finish making lunch while Tom was off filming "I Saw the Light.” The weeks were trickling away the closer it came to his return home, and she was feeling anxiety when she thought about it. To distract herself, she began putting together finger foods for her toddler to eat while she waited for Tom to return. He was due back anytime now. He was on the streets of London and headed home to her.

Placing the small plate of food on CJ's high chair tray, she glanced out to see the big willow on their front lawn. Ever since CJ's small accident, Anima had been cautious about letting him play outside. She had her back turned for two seconds when she heard a blood-curdling scream. CJ had fallen and scraped his chin on a tree root. Tom had a full-fledged cow when he saw it on the Skype cam. He had been so angry at her until he finally saw reason and apologized a week or two later.

Blowing out a breath and sitting down at the table to watch CJ nibble on a tiny piece of chicken, Anima smiled at him. "Are we having fun with lunch?" she asked softly, resting her chin on her hand.

"Esh," he answered as he reached down to pick up a peach slice, tearing it in two with his fingers and taking a bite. Hearing the front door opening and closer, he threw the peach slice on the floor and squealed. "Dada!"

Moose was having a conniption now that he had food and his nap buddy was back. Anima could hear Tom greeting the dog before he smiled and dashed around the corner and into view. He ruffled CJ’s hair before turning his attention to Anima. "Hello, darling," he said, kissing her before kissing all over her face and neck. "How are you?"

"Just waiting for him to finish his lunch before nap time," she purred, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Tom slipped into a seat before pulling her onto his lap; he was hard as a rock. "I can't wait," he growled before looking at what CJ had on his plate.

After CJ finished his lunch, Tom volunteered to put CJ down. He was always fussy when he was being put down, and it’d give him and Tom some alone time. Tom nearly barreled into the room when he was done putting his son down. Anima rarely lit candles since CJ was born, but she was doing it now. When he opened the door, Tom saw his wife sprawled out on the bed. She was wearing the corset and skirt from their honeymoon. He had the best wife ever. Her legs were splayed wide as she stuffed herself with her fingers.

"Tom," she purred as he drew closer, writhing wantonly.

With Anima spread like such a feast before him, Tom could not help but to set upon her, cradling her neck as he took her mouth in savage bites. She made an eager sound and nipped at his bottom lip. She was like a monkey as she wrapped her arms and legs around him.

“Annie,” he growled, his cock swollen thick and painful against his jeans. He rubbed it against Anima, earning a moan and a needy roll of her hips. “I've missed you."

"Oh Tom.”

Tom fumbled with his pants, taking hold of his throbbing cock when it burst free. He pressed his head against her slick entrance before sliding in with an obscene kiss.

"Fuck, so tight-" he pushed his cock forward, unrelenting as Anima bucked and whimpered. He twitched his hips forward, groaning at the vice around his cock. Finally, finally, Tom could slake his hunger, the frustration of those long nights when he was tormented by dreams of pale skin and Anima’s wicked mouth. He pounded into her body, until she was crying out for the love of it. With a roar, Tom came, shuddering as his release spilled out of him. Anima had come some time ago. There was so much of it that it dripped out of her.

"I love you," Tom whispered, crushing her body under his as they spooned.

Anima purred in answer. "I love you."

\---

While Anima continued sleeping off the sex, Tom went to CJ's room. He was sitting up and rubbing his eyes with both hands in his crib when Tom opened the door. CJ looked around. "Dada?"

"Hey, buddy. How’d you sleep?" he asked as he picked him up.

"Goo," he placed his hands on Tom's shoulders and looked around. It probably felt weird having Tom hold him after a nap since he hadn't done it in so long. Scanning the room and seeing his basketball on the floor, he grinned. "Baw!"

Tom put him down and watched him run to the orange and black ball. "Do you want to play ball with Daddy?"

CJ turned around with a squeal. "Play!" he tried to pick up the ball in his small hands and dropped it. Instead, he kicked it and clapped his hands. "Play!"

"All right. Let's go outside and play," he said as he bent down and picked up the toddler and then to ball. "Can I get a kiss?"

CJ put his hands on his dad's cheeks and kissed him on the lips, making a dramatic smooch as he withdrew. Tom chuckled as his son beamed."Thank you."

"Tank ooh."


	23. Chapter 23

Three year old CJ sat in the sand on a beach, his parents behind him. With a shovel in hand, he had been digging a trench around himself and his bucket of shells, watching as the water surrounded him instead of actually hitting him. Leaning back on her hands, Anima turned to face the sky and smiled. It was welcoming to be by themselves for a few weeks. This was after all their first real family vacation they’d been on. Beside her, Tom was sitting on the towel and watching the toddler digging away. Moose was busy chasing the waves out and running away as they came in.

"We should take CJ to see your parents in America. They haven't seen him since he was a baby."

"Yeah," she said, taking hold of a camera and pointing it in the direction of CJ's back and shooting. "Looks like he's having fun. He's a little architect."

Getting to his feet and walking over to join his son, Tom bent down and checked out his treasure bucket behind him. "Wow. Looks like you've been a busy bee, eh bud?"

"Look it, daddy!" he said, digging out a crab claw.

"Oooh, a crab claw," he said taking it and attacking CJ with it and making snarling noises. CJ screeched in delight.

"Mummy takes care of crabs, right?" CJ asked as he continued to dig.

"Yep. She takes care of all the ocean."

He smiled. "Nuh uh. Not all of it."

"Yeah huh. She's super mom."

"You bet I am!" Anima yelled from where she was sitting with their three month old daughter Zhen-Zhen they adopted from China two months prior.

\---

CJ sat on the kitchen counter and ate his lunch after he was bathed from a day at the beach. The cabin they were renting for three weeks was close enough to bring in the ocean breeze with the windows open. Anima was standing in front of him while fixing a sippy cup while Tom was napping in the master bedroom with Moose. Zhen-Zhen was in her high chair sipping on a fruit smoothie Anima had made for herself and her daughter. "Want to take a nap when you're done eating?"

The three year old took the blue sippy cup and took a generous gulp. "Can we go to the beach tomorrow?"

"Of course," she put him on the floor and watched him head towards the table with his remaining sandwich and cup to sit by his sister. He was enamored with her and the fact that he got to help bring her home and take care of her. "I'll show you some cool water animals, too. But you're still going to take a nap."

Making a face and pouting slightly, CJ huffed. "I don't wanna!"

"Well, you will, or mummy will give you bop-bops on the butt."

"Fine. Why do I gotta?"

"If you don't, you’ll turn into a crabby little beastie later in the day. Nobody likes little crabby beasties."

"Is that why you and daddy lies down all the time?"

Anima blushed. "Uhm, yep. That's why. C'mon, sport. I know you're eating slower on purpose."

CJ narrowed his eyes and stared back at her, as if trying to will her into letting him stay up. Anima locked her jaw, and he pouted as he acquiesced. The three year old hopped off the chair and hustled to his bedroom. She rocked with Zhen-Zhen a chair until he was asleep, and then she opened the door to the master bedroom and laid her down in her crib. Tom was softly snoring under the covers with an arm draped over his eyes. He looked a tad sunburned on his shoulders and face from a day of sun and sand and no sunscreen because he was a man.

"Tom?" she whispered.

"Hm," he grunted.

Anima laid down on the bed and draped an arm across his stomach, watching it rise and fall with his breathing. "CJ's down for the afternoon."

He moaned once more and rolled over to press his forehead against her's.

"He wants to go to the beach again for dinner."

"I'd like for you and I to be alone on the beach with just a towel together for dessert then."

Grinning and turning her head to kiss him softly, Anima tucked the comforter around them. "We'll add that one to our fantasy list."

"That's good because I've been thinking of a few things we can add," he cracked open an eye and smiled at her. He ran his fingers over her glow in her chest with sleep glazed motion. Even through all the shit they’d gone through, their glows were still bright enough to light a dark room. The glow only grew when they had CJ and adopted little Zhen-Zhen.

"I love you, Tom."

"Love you, Annie,” he mumbled as he shut his eyes. “This may sound weird…but I’m too tired for a boner.”

Anima snorted and snuggled close, dozing off under the warm sun.

END


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